


Typewriters and Typos (Secretary)

by Penny_Deadly



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, BDSM, BDSM Clubs, Ben Solo Needs A Hug, Ben comforts Rey, Bisexual Characters, Boss/Employee Relationship, Break Up Talk, Dom/sub, Dominant Ben Solo, Dominant Phasma, Error 404: Snoke Not Found, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, First Kiss, Hades and Persephone themed masquerade party, Hanna City mirrors Chicago, I'm sorry Steven Shainberg, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Lawyers, Love at First Sight, Master/Slave, Masturbation, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Poe Dameron is Poly, Polyamory, Rey Needs A Hug, Sassy Submissive Rey, Slow Burn, SwoloFic, The Secretary AU that needed a Reylo spin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-16
Updated: 2019-03-03
Packaged: 2019-04-20 22:58:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 21,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14271384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Penny_Deadly/pseuds/Penny_Deadly
Summary: Hello! This is my first Reylo fic submission. I do truly hope you enjoy the first chapter.  Comments and constructive criticism is very much welcomed.





	1. I'm Dyin' Cause I Have Love On the Brain

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my first Reylo fic submission. I do truly hope you enjoy the first chapter. Comments and constructive criticism is very much welcomed.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben kicks his cheating ex to the curb, just in time for him to meet someone else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! This is my first Reylo work. I've re-done the chapter from the original. Hope you enjoy! In this fic, Ben is 35 and Rey is 26. This is a fairly short introductory chapter. I want to thank my Beta DarknessRises_LightTomeetIt. Thanks so much, for your awesome help.  
> [Playlist for Chapter One](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/409HCSLAqwEBggrjaWD1UR)

Organa-Solo Associates Law Firm, Hanna City

 

Friday morning

 

For as long as Ben Solo could remember, love wasn't much of friend of his, of this he was certain about. Sure, he's had a few partners since discovering the kink lifestyle, and all have ended on somewhat good terms. However, infidelity was a concept that was not so foreign to him. He met Bazine at a singles mixer at Fetters; a BDSM club that he co-owns with Gwen Phasma, his best friend since university. He had been completely confident that Bazine was the right one to put an end the string of failed relationships, but he had no clue how wrong he was about her until it was too late.

 

After Ben mentally recounted what Kaydel Connix; the firm's receptionist and one of his closest confidants (minus Phasma) had told him earlier- that Bazine had been carrying on a clandestine affair with Hux, his mind was made up on the heartbreaking choice of ending their relationship as well as sacking her. He paid no mind to her becoming friends with his colleagues or anyone for that matter, but for her to betray him like that crossed the line. He stalked over to his black metal desk and pressed the white button of the intercom.

 

"Bazine, can you please come to my office?" Ben spoke in the intercom while hiding his fragmented emotional state.

 

"Yes, I can Sir," she replied evenly.

 

Bazine snaked into his office and sat down in the black leather chair close to the door. She noticed the look on his goatee framed face was one of anger and betrayal. She was the first to speak.

 

"What can I do for you Sir?" she seductively asked the man in front of her.

 

Ben unclenched his hardened jaw and took a few deep breaths before speaking, "Someone told me that you're having an affair with Hux. If this is true, then I would like to know why," he questioned at point blank while attempting to maintain his usual calm composure.

 

She felt her stomach lurch when it finally dawned on her that the charade was up. "Yes, I'm carrying on an affair Hux. So what?"

 

Ben felt his stomach flip at her confession. He closed his eyes that had been wet with tears and took a deep breath as an attempt to curtail his rage that was close to boiling over, and then asked her another question. "Are you going to tell me why you're cheating on me, or are you going to just sit there with nothing to say? The reason why I'm asking is because Kaydel told me that she caught you fooling around with Hux several times for the past few months," he ground out through gritted teeth.

 

"Ever since you decided to take on that fucking shark conservation client, our sex life has been shit. It's like you were ignoring me. So, after our argument about how boring our relationship had become, Hux stopped me to ask what was going on and it just happened, alright? What more do you want me to tell you?" she bitterly countered back.

 

Ben rolled his eyes, then shook his head at her pitiful attempt to pin the main reason for having an affair with Hux on him. "This was about work, it had NOTHING to do with us, also you know how hectic my work schedule can get when I take on a client. After I'd finished with the case, I tried to re-ignite our relationship, but it was like you fucking weren't mentally there. So I gave up and stopped trying after starting to suspect that you were having an affair. So nice fucking try," Ben shot back as he slammed his fist on the edge of his desk.

 

He felt now was the right time to end their two-year relationship, one that was happy at first, but slowly devolved into lonely nights, shouting matches instigated by Bazine, and then giving each other the silent treatment. "I don't need a submissive who feels it's ok to just cheat when things get tough or busy. I would like for you to hand over the collar and the key to my penthouse. Also, I want you to clean out your desk and leave." Ben sternly told her before calmly picking up the box on his desk, dropping it in front of Bazine's feet with little ceremony.

 

Bazine picked up the box to see a white envelope addressed to her inside it. Plucking the envelope out of the box, she opened it to find a severance check made out in the sum of three thousand dollars inside. She looked at him with a look of half bewilderment and half amusement. "So is this it, we're over?" She asked him, giving off a bitchy attitude.

 

Ben stalked over to her, leaning in to look directly into her dark eyes, his face not betraying his current emotional state. "Yes."

 

She rolled her eyes then shrugged. "That's fine with me," came her annoyed yet calm retort.

 

Ben removed the necklace that held the key that would unlock her black powder coated rolled steel eternity collar and tossed it to her.

 

Bazine caught the key, unlocking the collar and removing it off of her neck. Quickly, she exited his office, grabbing her keys from her purse and removing the key ring with the single key, before threading it on the collar and re-entering his office. Sauntering to his desk, she dropped the collar with the keys to both his home and the collar on the desk. Collecting the box, she opened one of the doors, making a snide remark before leaving.

 

"Just so you know, Hux and I fucked on your desk last night." She blatantly lied, her face not giving him the hint that she just said it to get under his skin for a final time.

 

Ben unleashed a low guttural growl before picking up and chucking the framed photo of her on holiday to Hawaii at the wall by the door after it closed behind her. The frame shattered against the red wall before falling into the rubbish bin below. She always had to have the last word. Deciding to take a personal break and leave work temporarily as soon as she left. Ben grabbed the keys to his car and sped off towards the front desk.

 

Kaydel looked up at him, her eyes full of curiosity after answering the phone, "She didn't take the break up well, did she?"

 

Ben didn't bother to hide his broken emotional state as he answered his friend."Yes and no. We just had our last fight, but she did not leave without making some snide remark. Do I have any incoming calls or clients until closing?" Ben quickly asked Kaydel,- toying with the key fob he bought in university.

 

Kaydel looked at his appointments from her computer. "I'm so sorry that it didn't work out, Ben. Apart from a few appointments later in the afternoon, your schedule is open," she told him while peering up from her computer.

 

"Thanks!" He said, rushing out the door to his car. Hopping into his black 1966 Shelby Cobra that he inherited from his grandfather, Ben hit Mos Eisley Gym for much-needed stress relief.

 

At the Gym, he changed into a simple grey tee that practically clung to his chiselled torso, black athletic gym shorts and a pair of red and black trainers that he had stowed away in the gym bag he had in the trunk of his car. After wrapping up his hands in tape, donning his blue tooth earbuds, and turning on his heavy metal music, he began taking out his anger and frustrations while imagining the bag was Hux's perfectly punchable face. Ben abruptly stopped when his anger was quickly replaced with a deep well of sadness. He shook away the niggling feeling of despair before going at the bag again.

 

An hour and a half later, Ben drove home to his nearby palatial penthouse and forced his worn-out body to the bathroom. While stripping down to his bare form, he felt the all too familiar lump in his throat. As he steps into the scalding hot water of the shower, he tearfully lets go of his emotions. While mindlessly washing his hair, he mentally swept up the fragments of his shattered heart.

 

After dressing, Ben quickly returned to work. Before going back to his office, Ben stops in front of a still concerned Kaydel, asking her to take an ad out in the local newspapers, as well as posting an ad on the online job boards. Ever the efficient secretary, Kaydel quickly notes it before going on her lunch break.

 

Retreating to his office, Ben quickly checks the count of who's attending tonight's members-only masquerade on his phone. As he peruses the RSVP list, he is pleasantly surprised that Hux’s or Bazine's names aren’t listed. He and Bazine had planned on going as Hades and Minthe, but after what happened, Ben decides it's best to go alone- just to see where the night will take him. The very last thing he wants right now is to be alone.

 

* * *

 

 

Ben's Downtown Flat

 

 

After an exhaustingly long day at work, Ben felt relieved to be finally at home. Tossing his black leather messenger bag onto the couch and kicking off his loafers, he stripped off everything until only his dark grey trousers remained. Even though Ben had a well-stocked kitchen, he decided to order out Tex-Mex, since cooking was the last thing he wanted to do in his current emotional state. Grabbing for his phone from his pocket, Ben put in an order for chicken nachos.

 

Right after dinner and a quick bowl of cereal, Ben dressed in his solid black suit and red-soled dress shoes. Looking out of the large seamless window of his penthouse that framed a perfect view of Hanna City's skyline, he pondered the idea of either giving up being in relationships, or waiting a little while before diving back into dating. He took a deep breath, before deciding to head to the club for the masquerade. Fetching his keys, along with the silver and black mask, Ben made his way to Fetters to see what kind of mischief he could get into.

 


	2. I Want An Island in The Sun Cause I Need An Escape.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey quits her dead-end job and gets ready to go out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dearest Reylos, I present to you chapter two. I would like to thank again my Beta DarknessRises_LightTomeetIt. Please enjoy!

Uncle Plutt's junkyard office, outside of Hanna City limits.

 

Rey Solis bravely walked into Plutt's shoddy back office, with every intention to tell her boss to shove the job up where the sun doesn't shine. After receiving support from her friends, she had the nerve to quit. She sat a heavy box full of her office supplies and belongings in one of the dilapidated, stain covered chairs.

 

Plutt looked up from his work and was the first to speak, "What's with the box? Are you quitting, girl?" he asked her with his usual pompous and patronising tone.

 

"You bet your arse I'm quitting!" Rey boldly stated.

 

"Aww, why?" he bemoaned, like a whiny child.

 

Annoyed with his behaviour, Rey rolled her eyes and folded her arms. "For one, I'm fed up with the verbal abuse from you, the low pay, and worthless benefits. Also, I'm done being your 'slave'." Rey answered him in a harsh, bitter tone.

 

The rotund middle-aged man didn't reply. He merely sat in his old beaten chair behind a desk, cluttered with stacks of paperwork, staring at her in complete silence.

 

Taking his silence as her queue to bolt for the door, she promptly collected her box and went outside to call a cab. A solid six minutes later, the cab arrived. Rey alights herself into the backseat of the car with her belongings, taking a deep breath before she spoke, "Maz's coffee shack, please," she calmly tells the driver after putting her seatbelt on.

 

Twenty minutes later, she found herself in front of Maz's Coffee Shack. She remembered when Maz owned the shop before well her well-deserved retirement. She gave Poe Dameron the reins to the shack, and the permission to rename it. Poe thought of the idea to rename it, but it wouldn't be a testament to her hard work.

 

With her box of stuff under her left arm, Rey opened the door and went inside. The fragrance of ground beans and baked goods assaulted her nose, and she felt immediately at home. After she found a safe spot for her stuff, she headed for the restrooms to freshen up. When she approached the door, she heard strange sounds coming from the other side. Thinking someone needed her help, she opened the door and quickly closed it when she saw her friends, Finn Williams, and his partner of a solid year, Rose Tico, bent over the sink, nude from the waist down, with him taking her from behind. Her eyes grew wide and she hurriedly closed the door in a blind panic before they saw her enter. Rey's cheeks began to flush red in embarrassment as she walked back to the table.

 

Finn was the first to get a glimpse of Rey walking in on them fucking. They quickly got dressed and went out to find Rey sitting at a table. The pair coolly strode to her table and sat down. Rose fixed her wavy black hair while Finn straightened his shirt.

 

"I'm so sorry for walking in on you," Rey quickly blurted out.

 

Finn waved her off. "It's alright, Poe does it all the time," Finn said between breaths. He quickly changed the subject. "Did you finally manage to tell Plutt to take the job and shove it up his ass yet?"

 

"Yep, despite his whining about it - but he let me go," she casually explained.

 

"What time are you both going to Paige's wedding?" 

 

"Nine in the morning. Apparently, Snap and Paige wanted a morning wedding." Finn replied with a hit of half amusement, half annoyance.

 

Both of them hugged Rey tightly before Poe Dameron came out of his back office to see Rey sitting with them. Hurrying over to them, he gave her a bear hug.

 

"What's going on? Any news?" Poe asked all at once.

 

"Indeed, there is! I quit my job!" Rey stated while flashing a toothy smile at Poe.

 

"How did the bloated sack of shit take it?" Poe asked her inquisitively.

 

"He groaned about it. When I brought up why I was quitting, he merely sat in his chair and said nothing. So, I took his silence as my answer and left."

 

"Want anything to drink, Rey?" Poe asked as he jumped over the counter.

 

“Yea, I'll take a lemonade, thanks.”

 

"It's on the house. So, looking for a new job now?" Poe inquired, whilst grabbing a bottle of lemonade from the cooler. Rey sighed and took a long gulp of sweet lemonade.

 

"Pretty much, Poe. Why - do you want to offer me one?" she teased sarcastically.

 

"If you want the job, it's all yours till you find a new one," he chuckled.

 

Rey cocked a grin at Poe and hugged him gratefully. Remembering to give him a portion of the rent money while counting what she has stashed in her wallet, Rey quickly handed Poe the money

 

Poe ducked into his office, grabbing his car keys as Rey stood up to collect her belongings, before hugging both Finn and Rose. He headed for the door and followed her to his car - a rebuilt 1968 burnt orange and black Charger. Poe unlocked both doors and held onto the box of her belongings whilst she got in. Handing her the box, Poe closed the door before getting into the driver's side and shutting his door. As soon as he fired up the car, heavy metal music began blaring through the speakers.

 

"What are your plans for the rest of the evening, Rey?" Poe asked her as he made the turn onto Ileenium Street.

 

"Well, I have plans to go to the members only party at a local club, there's a Hades and Persephone themed masquerade," Rey explained to him with a tinge of excitement in her tone.

 

"Oh, nice! I hope you have a fun time." Poe excitedly remarked as he sharply turned on to D’Qar Avenue.

 

Her friends felt like the stable family that she never had. She and her parents immigrated from England to the States when she was just only three. Things were great until her father disappeared five years later. Her mother spiralled into a deep depression that caused her to take her own life. After her death, the state decided to place her in St. Yaddle's Orphanage, located in the tiny rust bucket of a town called Jakku. The orphanage was more of a prison than an actual home.

 

On the eve of her eighteenth birthday, she made the choice to run away with her belongings and never look back. After exhausting her scavenged food supply, Rey found a small cafe shoppe. Maz was the first person that she met on the first day she left the orphanage. Sure, it took some time for Rey to trust the kindness of a stranger but her gut told her it will be ok. Maz taught her how to function like a normal person, as well as helping her apply for citizenship, getting a decent education and giving Rey her first job. Two years later, she moved in with her now flatmates after a party that Poe had thrown with the news that Maz's breast cancer went into remission.

 

Rey's thoughts were interrupted abruptly once Poe pulled up to the two-story, white home that is a huge nod to cubism. Poe inherited the house when his parents were killed in a plane crash on the way to Tahiti for their second honeymoon.

 

"See you guys before I run off to the ball like Cinderella?"

 

"Yep, and don't worry about catching Finn and Rose fucking in the bathroom earlier,” Poe said.

 

"You heard their porno sounds coming from the bathroom too?” Rey asked while laughing and unbuckling her seatbelt.

 

"I'm used to the heavy panting that happens after two in the morning,” he joked while trying to contain his laughter.

 

Once Rey peeled herself out of the bucket seat and walked into the house, she quickly sat her stuff on the coffee table. When she headed for her room to change out of her clothes, a large, fluffy, orange and white cat named bee-bee eight was guarding the hallway - as if he were the world’s cutest gargoyle. "Hi there cutie, did you miss me?" Rey squatted down while holding the box in her hands. She recalled the first time Poe told her about how he found him at the shack two years ago when he was only a tiny, starving and lonely kitten. Poe felt sad for the little furball, so he ran to the nearest bodega to pick up a can of cat food to feed him as well as giving him water. After work that day, he took him home and gave him the name of Bee-bee eight.

 

Rey closed the door, wandering to the kitchen with bee-bee eight at her heels. Setting her belongings on the circular dining table, she fed him before going to her room to change out of her work clothes and into a long white sundress. Going to the fridge, Rey grabbed the veggie pizza, reheating it in an oiled skillet. Bee-Bee eight jumped on the table as Rey sat down at the table. He looked at her with his deep golden hued eyes and meowed loudly at her, silently begging her to let him have a bite.

 

"No, bee-bee eight, your food bowl is by your tree." Rey picked him up, petting him lightly before setting him on the floor.

 

He glared at her then quickly bolted for Poe's chair.

 

After she finished eating, Rey grabbed her phone, going to her room to watch Netflix. During the film, Rey caught herself falling asleep. Sleepily, Rey plugged her phone in before placing it on her bedside table and falling asleep.

 

* * *

 

 

Rey awoke to the sounds of heavy metal music and the scent of food, and people talking in the kitchen. Checking her phone for the time, Rey sees that she has two and a half hours left until the party. Getting out of bed, she meanders to the kitchen, relieved to see. Poe baking two lasagnas, one vegetarian for her and a meat lovers for everyone else. Finn and Rose were busy preparing a salad. Bee-Bee eight was in his tree, happily toying with a fake mouse. The three looked up at Rey as she entered the room.

 

"Have a good nap?" Poe asked her as he opened the oven to grab the lasagna.

 

"Despite having another very interesting dream involving a man. You could say that..." Rey told him while setting the table for dinner.

 

"I'm guessing it's the one with the handsome mystery man?" Rose asked while dicing a tomato.

 

"So, who are you going as to the party?" Finn asked Rey as he poured salad dressing on his plate.

 

"I'm going as the modern version of Hades' wife, Persephone," Rey tells them as she dug into her salad.

 

"Nice!" Poe commented, getting up to grab the now empty salad bowl and returning with lasagna off the counter, and setting it down where the salad bowl had rested.

 

"You have to see her dress before she disappears," Rose said between the last two bites of salad, washing it down with a sip of red wine.

 

Bee-bee eight jumped off his tree and ran to his bowl to get a drink of water. He snuck under the table, placing himself kitty-corner between Poe's bare feet.

 

As Poe served the lasagna, he looked down to see his orange and white cat staring hungrily at him. "Go to bed right now mister," Poe told him as he sat back down to eat.

 

Rey smiled, giving Rose a wink. "Yep, and this time he had a name. The only thing I can remember was it started with a B or a K, I can't exactly remember." Rey mumbled as she recalled the dream.

 

The two men shook their heads as they let the whole exchange fly over both their heads. Poe quickly turned down the blaring music. Rey sat down at the table and is quickly joined by Finn. Rose was not far behind, holding four wine glasses and a bottle of uncorked pinot noir, followed by Poe holding the salad bowl. Rose poured the wine as Poe served the salad.

 

Bee-bee completely ignored everyone and stayed put.

 

After finishing the last of her slice of lasagna, and downing the last sip of wine, Rey took her dishes to the sink right before she hurried to the bathroom. Undressing, she took her occasional twenty-minute shower to exfoliate and shave.

 

Drying herself off, Rey opens her closet door to grab her sleeveless beige gown, along with the gold accessories that she bought for the event. The garment is made of silk crepe chiffon. Even though the material looks heavy, it is surprisingly light and gauzy. It definitely left something to the imagination. Next, Rey donned a small gold chest harness, before slipping on the gown. She decided on keeping her nails bare and her hair down.

Rose knocks on Rey's door.

 

"Come in!" Rey half shouted, while doing her makeup.

 

“You might want to open the door for me, I have two large glasses of vino in my hands."

 

Rey stopped what she was doing to open the door. Rose wandered in holding two glasses of chardonnay, handing Rey a glass before gracelessly flopping on the bed.

 

"All I can say is wow!" Rose comments when first seeing Rey in her gown.

 

Rey smiled at Rose, brushing her wavy shoulder-length chestnut hair before tying on her intricate gold lace eye mask. Rey felt nervous, excited to see her friends, yet terrified of the unknown that lay ahead. She tried mentally quieting down her fears, but to no avail. Grabbing the other glass, Rey sipped her wine and immediately felt better.

 

"What are they doing?" Rey asked while booking a cab from her phone.

 

"Watching bad tv, having a couple of beers, the usual Friday night ritual," Rose explained to her while watching Rey get ready for the night.

 

Rey sprayed herself with a light floral perfume before sitting on her bed to don her strappy sandals. Grabbing her tiny gold crystalised minaudiere, she neatly packed it with the ticket, her ID card, her phone, some cash, mints, lipstick and her Fetters membership card before slipping it over her left shoulder. They both left the room for the living room after Rey finished dressing.

 

Poe was parked in his recliner and Finn on the loveseat. Rose quickly joined her boyfriend on the couch. The two men gawked at Rey when she came into the room. Their thoughts returned when the cab pulled in the driveway.

 

"Be careful and have a good time!" Poe quickly told her.

 

"Call us if you need a ride home," Finn chimed in.

 

"Bye, and I'll see you when I get home, yeah?” Rey asked them.

 

“Yup!” The three chimed in unison.

 

Rey hugged her chosen family quickly before she went out the door and into the night.


	3. Losin' My Favourite Game To a Beautiful Stranger Is The Most Fun A Newly Single Guy Can Have Without Gettin' Naked(But It's Better If You Did)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one where Ben(Kylo Ren) meets Rey(Kira) in the strangest of circumstances. Who knew that masks could free up inhibitions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, sorry. I would have posted this last Friday, but writer's block struck me. Here's a link to the chapters playlist.  
> [Playlist for Chapter](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6HSsFpB9UsMZmzuaBqJjh9)
> 
> I would like to send a shout out to the lovely DarknessRises_LightToMeetIt who was my beta for this chapter. 
> 
> To those who left comments and gave kudos, thank you!

_Fetters, Downtown Hanna city_

 

**Later that night...**

 

Rey wandered into the converted cathedral after the cab dropped her off. As she made her way inside to check in, she handed Mitaka her red ticket and is given a blue drink ticket along with the red ticket, nodding her thanks to him before speaking." Has Miss Phasma selected a book for the book club, yet?" Rey asked him.

 

"Yea, Kira. It's 'Slave' by R.E. Masters. Word of warning, it's salacious and far racier than that one book series."

 

"Really, now?"

 

"Oh indeed!"

 

"Thanks, Mitaka and see you at the book club!" Rey said to him before bolting down the hall to the play space to find her friends.

 

The play space didn't require much of an overhaul since the play furniture had been relocated elsewhere. The old sanctuary was lit with several strategically placed sconces holding black and white tapers. The arches were festooned with black satin curtains that were tied to the stone pillars. People wore the many versions of the two deities. It felt like as of she had descended into the underworld itself.

 

She found her friends standing near a stained glass image of Mary Magdalene. The three were chatting away about the 'Zelda' games, looking up at her and smiling as she approached. Ani was tall, had a thick beard, and long black wavy hair that was always in a ponytail. He had decided on going as a steampunk version of Hades. They sometimes played together at public and private play parties. He was poly, along with Malgus and Eleena. The three were the first friends Rey made.

 

Rey's other two friends, Malgus and Eleena, were a well-known poly Dom/sub couple. They had decided to go as a zombie-fied version of Hades and Persephone.

 

"Hey! I've got good news," Rey told them after hugging all three.

 

"I finally quit my old job this morning. I start my temporary job next week." Rey revealed to the three, a smile on her face

 

"I assume that he didn't take the news well," Anakin surmised.

 

"All the old man did was complain about it, but he let me go. I also caught my roommates fucking in the bathroom at the shack this morning. I've never bolted out of a restroom so quickly."Rey laughed after recalling her day.

 

The four of them burst into a fit of laughter.

 

* * *

 

Ben Solo slid his mask over his face after he pocketed his father's lucky golden dice and made his way to the imposing church. He felt strangely confident as he opened the door and headed inside. The Gregorian chant playing in the background, emanating from the sanctum oddly comforted him. The club smelled of leather, burning candles, and the scent called dragon's blood. The club used to be a Catholic cathedral before it was converted into a speakeasy during prohibition. He and Phasma bought the place nearly six years ago and converted it into a BDSM social club and dungeon.

 

"Hey, Mitaka!" Ben greeted the man as he gave him his red ticket.

 

"Hey, Sir Kylo! Where's Bazine?" Mitaka asked Kylo with genuine concern. He had decided to go as Hades' manservant. Tearing the other ticket off, he handed it back to Ben along with a blue drink ticket.

 

"I broke up with her. Found out that she's been having an affair with Hux."

 

"Some fucking people," Mitaka shook his head in shock and disbelief.

 

"I agree with you on that one!" Ben said in return.

 

"Perhaps one day you'll find someone better."

 

Ben didn’t know if he wanted to laugh or shrug off the cliched comment, his lips quivering for a moment in thought before he answered, "I seriously doubt that."

 

"A wise man once told me it's unwise to underestimate predestined fate. Anyway, it was great to see you again. By the way, you'll find my Mistress at the bar."

 

"You too, and thanks!"

 

Ben pocketed the two tickets before finding Gwen Phasma chatting away with a couple of her fellow Doms. She was dressed as a modern female Hades, wearing a black lace mask that paired with her inky pantsuit and a pair of black patent pointed toe stilettos.

 

Phas spotted him approaching the bar, immediately springing out of her seat to greet him. Noting that he was alone, she surmised that Ben and Bazine had one of their shouting matches and he went out without her. "Hey there Ren." Phasma gave him one of her famous hugs, one that will make anyone feel better instantly. "Where's Bazine?" Phasma asked with concern.

 

"Hey, Phas!" Ben hugged her back, before settling down onto a bar stool next to her. "I broke up with her. I found out that she's been carrying on a secret affair with Hux. I fired her, as well."

 

Phas gave Ben a pained and sympathetic look. "How did you find out about the affair?"

 

"I had my suspicions when I tried to repair our relationship. Kaydel confirmed them when she caught them in the bathroom after work last Monday," Ben told her, ordering his usual aged scotch.

 

Phasma shook her head and sipped her cranberry vodka."I hope you realise that there are better people out there."

 

Ben sighed, running a hand through his black tresses. "I highly doubt that, Phas."

 

“Oh, you’ll find the right person one day,” Phasma chuckled, catching him ogling a girl from across the room.

 

* * *

 

Rey wiped her eyes after laughing at one of Malgus' filthy jokes, looking up to see a man dressed entirely in a black suit walking to the bar and talking to Miss Phasma. It took a split second to realize that he resembled the man that haunted her dreams. Suddenly, Rey found she had to concentrate on breathing when she caught him looking her way. Rey looked away, forcibly releasing herself from his dark and intense gaze, suddenly feeling parched from the whole experience. "I'm going to go get a drink from the bar. See you guys later, yea?" Rey said to her friends with a smile.

 

"Have fun! We're off to find something to snack on." Malgus hugged Ani and Kira before he threaded his fingers into his wife's hand before heading for the snack buffet.

 

"I'm going to go, as well. I saw some people I would like to say hello to. I will see you later, Kira!" Ani hugged her then left to greet his other friends.

 

Rey meandered over to the bar to get a drink, and also get a much better look at the man from her dreams. She noted that he was dressed as a modern-day Hades. His shoulder-length, wavy black hair and intense, yet warm, brown eyes made her lose her train of thought just by looking into them. She sat down on a bar stool, ordering a cranberry vodka. Not wanting him to notice her staring, Rey looked down at the bar.

 

* * *

 

Ben’s eyes followed the beautiful woman as she walked to the bar, his eyes immediately taking note of what is she wearing. The semi-sheer and flesh-toned sleeveless deep v-neck gown hung loosely on her. The plunging v-neck accentuated her breasts, and along with the golden body chain, her sun-kissed skin seemed to shine with a light of its own.  Her hair was down in natural loose waves, and an intricate yet delicate gold mask made her hazel eyes glow as well. Ben noted to himself that his luck might be beginning to turn. After she sat down at the bar, he downed the last of his scotch before going to the stage with Phasma to begin the festivities.

 

Phasma grabbed the mic from the stand and cleared her throat before speaking. The attendees all made their way to the stage as Ben placed a folding table between Phasma and himself before setting a fishbowl containing red ticket stubs on top of it. Phas turned on the mic, finally speaking. "Hello, and welcome to the monthly members night. I hope you're having a nice evening. Before we begin, is anyone a new member?"

 

A few hands shot up into the air.

 

"Welcome then! Right, when you checked in, you were handed a different ticket along with your own. There's a reason for it. We have a game called Lucky Numbers. Someone comes up to draw a red ticket then reads the numbers on it, and if someone has the identical number on their ticket, they are your date for the evening. It's the kinky equivalent of randomised vanilla speed dating. I need to stress that everyone does not have to participate. Those who do wish to participate need to form an orderly queue. A quick note - before I let the first person come up, the private playrooms are off limits since the staff and volunteers have moved the majority of the equipment into the rooms. Now let's begin!"

 

Ben watched as the girl that stole his attention earlier joined the long queue. He secretly hoped that she picked the ticket that he held in his hands. As people came up and drew a ticket, reading out their numbers, he felt relieved that they didn't have the ones that matched his. The numbers on his ticket were BR4212187. Finally, the woman who caught his attention earlier stepped up on the stage, and for the first time, he felt a bit nervous.

 

* * *

 

After everyone in front of her went and found their dates, Rey stepped up the stage and felt her heart skip a beat when her eyes met the man whom she had caught staring at her earlier. She slipped her hand into the bowl, drawing out a red ticket and reading out the numbers. "B-R-4-2-1-2-1-8-7"

 

As the audience glanced at their tickets, Rey felt someone tap her on her shoulder, turning around to see the same man holding out his ticket to her. Rey accepted it from him, comparing the numbers. She felt her mouth turn dry and her heart started to pound rapidly in her chest when she saw that the numbers matched. "Hi," she said, trying to control her rapid, shallow breathing. Rey offered Ben her hand as if to shake hands with him.

 

"Hi," Ben managed to say before taking her hand in his and placing a chaste kiss on the soft skin.

 

Rey felt a strange, yet pleasurable spark course through her as the handsome stranger kissed her hand. What truly grabbed her attention wasn't his appearance, it was the deep, dulcet tone in his voice and she realized that his voice was identical to the man that haunted her dreams. She needed to talk to him more to be certain, finding she craved hearing the sound.

 

As if on cue, Phasma hurried the couple off the stage to let the other people up who had decided to participate at the last minute. Ben led Rey past the bar to the small half-circle black leather sectional.  glass coffee table faced it, along with matching leather club chairs. "May I ask your name?" Ben asked her, picking up one of the chairs and setting it near the end of the couch.

 

"Sure, It's Kira. Yours?" Rey eyed the man next to her, and she could tell that he was completely fascinated by her. She felt it was appropriate not to divulge her real name until she decided to either date him or became good friends with him.

 

"Nice to meet you, Kira. I'm Kylo." Ben told her as he sat in the chair. He made it a rule to keep his private and professional life separated since he joined the local community. "Would you like something to drink or snack on?" Ben asked her as he rose from his seat.

 

"Yea, I'll have a glass of bubbly, and surprise me with the snack," she told him, watching him leave for the bar.

 

As soon as he left, Rey dug out her phone from her clutch and quickly sent Rose a text message, stating they needed to talk later. She promptly shoved her phone back in her clutch as Ben came back - holding a flute of red-hued champagne with six pomegranate arils floating in the glass, as well as a couple of slices of flourless chocolate cake and a single black granite rock in a finger of scotch.

 

"Here you go, your drink and flourless chocolate cake." Ben handed her the drink first, then the cake, before settling back into his chair, holding his glass in his large hands. He took a sip of his scotch, admiring the woman seated next to him.

 

"Are you enjoying your evening, Kira?" Ben asked as he took a large bite of his slice of cake.

 

"Yeah, it's immensely better than staying home listening to my flatmates have loud, enthusiastic marathon sex, all while trying to sleep." Rey earnestly admitted to him while laughing and taking a sip of her red bubbly. She made a mental note to find the recipe later.

 

"Try having a roommate who had crazy marathon sex with women he meets in local bars, all when I was working on my law degree. One night, he got drunk and tried to hit on a girl I was dating at the time. I finally had enough of his drunken antics and kicked his ass out. A week later, she dumped me for another man," Ben replied, chuckling as he remembered the now funny memory, finishing his slice of cake before swallowing down the rest of his scotch.

 

"You're a lawyer?" Rey asked him.

 

“Mmmhmm! You are correct." Ben answered after he swallowed the sip of scotch.

 

“What type of lawyer?” She asked before taking a large bite of cake.

 

“I do a bit of everything, but I specialise in corporate law. So, what do you do?” Ben asked curiously.

 

“I used to be an assistant/secretary at Plutt's Junkyard for a few years until I quit this morning. Now I’m a barista at Maz's.” Rey answered,  playing with her body chain as a subtle act of flirtatious teasing.

 

“Horrible boss?” Ben managed to choke out as he noticed her toying with the chain. He suddenly remembered his secret weakness for sassy and flirtatious brunettes.

 

“You could say that.”

 

"Can I ask you a couple of questions, if it's ok to ask them?" Ben said in a small effort to get to know the woman who stole his attention.

 

"As long as they are reasonable. Go right ahead Kylo," She replied making sure she doesn't break eye contact with him.

 

"Questions number one and two. Are you new here? Are you new to the lifestyle?" Ben asked her earnestly, leaning in toward her.

 

"That is a no to both of those questions,” Rey answered. “I've been coming here for about five months, and I've been enjoying my time here. I was introduced to kink by an ex-play partner when I lived in Jakku. After he and I amicably parted ways, I had a couple of Doms afterwards. My first Dom and I were together for nearly a year before his untimely death, and my last Dom was verbally and emotionally abusive. I left him a week later after he and I began dating. Thankfully, he's in prison for committing multiple sexual assaults." Rey answered Ben with complete honesty, having to take a few breaths to quell her sadness and anger after recalling her first two Doms - but failing to stop her tears from spilling over. She quickly wiped them away, but is stopped by Kylo.

 

Ben was in complete shock by her answer, and admired her bravery and honesty. He reached out to wipe her freshly fallen tears from her eyes and cheeks. He somehow was beginning to feel something for her and yet, he barely knew her.

 

As Rey peered into his soulful brown eyes, she noticed that his eyes were the same as the man who haunted her dreams. She felt strangely safe around him.

 

Ben sighed deeply before replying, "Well, I recently ended a two-year relationship with my former girl. Things were going great after the first year, by the time we hit the two-year mark of dating, things weren't going so grand. We fought about my demanding career destroying our relationship, that was just one of the many reasons. I tried fixing it with everything I could, and she still wasn't happy. I had no idea that she no longer cared, nor loved me anymore. After I stopped trying to make her happy, we stopped seeing each other outside of work. A week before I released her, my receptionist caught her fucking one of my colleagues. After she told me about it, I knew it was over." Ben quietly swallowed the lump in his throat after reopening his still very fresh wound.

 

He noticed people had begun dancing with their partners as the first slow song hit the airwaves. It was one of the songs from 'Bram Stoker's Dracula'. The score was slow and romantic.

 

Rey finished her slice of cake before downing her drink, along with the six arils that lay at the bottom of her flute before setting the glass on the table.

 

"Would you like to dance, Kira?" Ben asked her as he held out his hand.

 

"I thought you'd never ask, Kylo. A little tidbit about me, this film is one of my personal favourites." Rey rose from the couch, taking his hand.

 

"Mine too," Ben admitted as he whispered in her ear.

 

"Kylo, may I ask you a question?" Rey asked him as her purse suddenly vibrated.

 

"Go ahead," Ben responded.

 

"Are you new here, and do you believe in love at first sight?" Rey asked him while ignoring her phone, enjoying the calming sound of his heartbeat against her cheek as they danced.

 

"Actually, no. I've been here since I opened it with Phasma. As for 'the love at first sight' trope, I use to think it only happened in fiction, but now, I'm not sure what to think of it." Ben answered her honestly, all the while trying to hide the fact that he'd fallen for her the first time they locked eyes.

 

"Please tell me you’re kidding," Rey eyed him suspiciously.

 

"Nope, I’m not kidding," Ben admitted while grinning a little at her.

 

Rey blinked a few times, trying to remember if she’d seen him before, but she had no luck.

 

“In case you’re wondering why you haven’t seen me around, it’s because I have been busy dealing with my personal life.”

 

Ben held her hand in his as he led her further onto the dance floor. He pulled her in closer and relished in the feel of her head resting on his chest as they slow danced to the romantic music. Her skin smelt of orange blossoms that had just bloomed. For a while, he felt as if time stood still as he fell adrift into the pools of her hazel eyes. He'd heard of love at first sight, seen it occur in films and from skimming the many books that his mother read during his childhood, but he didn't believe it existed in real life -  until now. He remembered the person who occupied his dreams and came to the realisation that Kira eerily resembled the woman from them.

 

The song ended, and another song began. This time it was 'Wicked Game' by an unknown artist. The pair danced until Rey’s feet began to ache from prolonged wear.

 

As the slower song changed into 'Closer', people made a beeline for the food table and the bar while singing along. The two took it as their cue to bolt for the couch.

 

"Umm, Kylo?"

 

"Yes, Kira?"

"Would it be ok to go back to the couch and relax with me on your lap? My feet are none too happy with me."

 

Ben felt his mouth go dry at the thought of Kira on his lap. He promptly sobered up before anyone noticed.

 

"Yes, we can."

 

Ben let go of her, quickly picking her up in his arms, carrying her slight frame to the couch. He got a thrill from Rey wrapping her arms around his neck. Several people, including Phasma, were quite shocked at the stunt, and his business partner and friend mentally noted to have a quick talk with him after the party.

 

As they reached the couch, He manoeuvred himself to where he could effortlessly sit on the couch with her.

 

"What's your take on kissing and sex on the first date? Also, are you a Dom, a switch, or a sub?" Rey asked him while taking off her sandals and rubbing her feet.

 

“Well Kira, that all depends on how well the date is going with myself and the person I'm with. On the other hand, sex on the first date is not something I would generally do. I prefer getting to know my date before things get to that point. But I give props to those who do. I'm actually a Dom, but I wouldn't make you call me Sir or Master, because I haven't earned that privilege,” Ben explained to her while trying hard not to picture her naked body under his.

 

“Kylo, what time is it?” Rey asked softly.

 

“It's nearly midnight,” he informed her after he glanced at his watch.

 

“So, what shall we do until midnight?” Rey inquired, while looking up at him from her position.

 

“We could go raid the snack buffet and play Blackjack,” Rey suggested to him.

 

Ben chuckled at the idea. “We could do that. Prepare to lose horribly,” he half-heartedly threatened as he winked deviously at her.

 

"You first, Kylo." She cheekily retorted back.

 

Rey peeled herself off of his warm lap, bolting to the buffet and grabbing what snacks she could.  A bowl of red grape bunches, assorted cheeses, a few chocolate cupcakes, and various veggies catch her attention, and she stuffs everything she can into one bowl for ease of carrying it along with them. Rey sat the bowl on the coffee table before moving her shoes to the floor, settling herself back on the couch. Rey opened her clutch to grab her lipstick, quickly applying it before he can come back.

 

Ben had snuck away to his office in the back of the building, unlocking the door with his code. He made sure no one was behind him before entering. Going to his desk, he turned the small lamp resting there, on before opening the slender middle drawer to fish out his playing cards. He pocketed them before he closed the drawer, turning off the lamp before exiting his office as quickly as possible. Making his way back to Rey, Ben noticed the large bowl of various snacks on the table. When he peered up at Rey, he noted her dark red lipstick and grinned at her. He quickly remembered his other weakness of women -  wearing that shade of red.

 

“Ready to lose tragically, Kira?” Ben asked her while smiling and moving his chair to the other side of the table.

 

She burst into a fit of laughter at the empty threat. “Oh, it's not my arse that I'm worried about.” Rey sarcastically replied.

 

He harrumphed at that and promptly sat in his chair, facing her. He reached for the pack of cards in his coat pocket and opened it before shuffling the cards and dealing two cards between them.

 

“What are we playing for, and how long?” Ben asked her as he quickly looked at his cards. He had two kings.

 

“That is up to you, Kylo.” came her reply. She looked at her cards and displayed her 'poker face' while grabbing a grape and consuming it. She had a jack and a queen.

 

“Well Kira, if I have the most wins by midnight, I would like a kiss goodnight and your phone number.”

 

Rey suddenly had to concentrate on breathing. She quickly regained her composure and grabbed another grape from the plate.

 

“If I have the most wins, you get to take me home and a kiss good night.”

 

Ben had a strange desire to lose to her. He truly didn't wish for the evening to end and never see her again and he wondered if she felt the same.

 

“Would you like to stay or hit?” Ben inquired.

 

She looked at her cards a third time. “I'll stay,” Rey cheekily told him.

 

He stole a quick glance at his hand, “I'm going to hit.”

 

Rey dealt Ben a card and watched for any changes with his facial expressions. She was disappointed when his face gave nothing away.

 

“Fuck, I busted!” He revealed his two kings and a four.

 

Rey tried to stifle her giggling by stuffing her mouth with a cupcake. “Another round, Kylo, or should we play 'go fish'?” Rey asked him as if she were taunting him.

 

If she were his, he would make sure she wouldn't be able to sit comfortably for a week. However, somewhere in his perverse mind, he enjoyed it. But she wasn't his sub, so he settled for the next best thing; he'd have to beat her at her own game.

 

"Let's do another round, shall we?" Ben replied daringly.

 

Rey nodded as she dealt her two cards first, then his two. They both looked at their cards. Ben had a king and an ace, while Rey had two jacks. Neither of them noticed that the club had become more empty since the start of the evening. The smooth jazz quickly faded into a love song from a classic rock band.

 

“Isn't this 'Waiting for a Girl Like You' from ‘Foreigner’?" He asked her.

 

“Yep,” Rey commented after carefully listening to the song.

 

"Kira, Hit or stay?"

 

"I'll stay, Kylo."

 

"Hit or stay?" Rey asked him. She noticed him softly sing along to it as if he were serenading her.

 

"I'm going to stay," Ben replied as he grabbed the last grape from the bowl.

 

"Are you sure?" She asked him while reaching for a carrot.

 

"That's funny that you just asked me", He shot back as he chuckled and revealed both of his cards.

 

"Dammit!" Rey groaned out, revealing her cards.

 

Ben chuckled at the fact he just made her eat her own words. He dealt out the cards. They were one for one.

 

"Hit or stay?" Ben asked her while inhaling the last of the veggies.

 

"Stay," Rey tells him as she flashed him a diabolical smirk.

 

"Hit, please," he politely commanded.

 

"Ok, it's probably your funeral," Rey teased as she dealt him another card. She wondered what trick he was pulling on her.

 

"Ready to lose again?" Ben retorted as he revealed his three cards.

 

Rey burst into a fit of laughter as she saw his hand. "Jokes on you! I got Blackjack." Rey fired back, flipping her cards over to reveal a Queen and an ace.

 

"Guess, I'm not going to win, then? When shall I take you home?" Ben asked as he gathered the cards and put them away in the box.

 

"Let me finish my last cupcake and clean up," Rey told him before stuffing the last cupcake into her mouth.

 

After inhaling her cupcake, Rey cleaned up the plates and wiped the table down with a paper towel.

 

Ben moved his chair back to where he found it. As he went back to his office to put the cards back in his desk, he felt someone tap his shoulder. "Oh hey, Phas."

 

"Someone has been having fun." Phasma quipped.

 

"Mmhmm. I've actually met someone who managed to make me forget my ex for a few hours." Ben beamed as he opened the door and walked to his desk to put away the cards.

 

"Good, but please be careful, Ren. I hate to see both of you get hurt." Phasma implored him.

 

"Phas, I'll be ok. I promise." Ben smiled at her as he closed his office door.

 

Phasma returned his smile, and they both headed back to the main room.

 

Ben waited for Rey in the foyer, her shoes in his hand. Looking at his watch, Ben was happy to see it was already 12.00 AM. Rey approached him after bidding her friends farewell.

 

"Ready to go?" Ben asked her.

 

"Yup! I just had to tell my friend's goodnight. Thanks for grabbing my shoes." Rey told him as she made sure that her clutch was on her.

 

Ben and Rey walked hand in hand to the front door. He opened the door and let her walk out first into the cool, late summer night.

 

"Brr! It's a little cold out here." Rey shivered slightly as the cool air hit her exposed skin.

 

"Here, borrow my jacket." Ben fished his keys out of the pocket before removing the jacket, sliding it onto her shoulders.

 

It was a little big on her - but Rey strangely loved it. It smelled fruity, yet masculine. She followed him to his car and walked to the passenger door. She watched him walk to her side before unlocking it and climbing in. She let him shut her door and quickly buckled up.

 

He fired up the car.  "Where am I taking you?" Ben asked as he turned down the radio and dug out his phone.

 

"421517 D'Qar Ave," Rey replied.

 

Ben unlocked his phone then went to the maps app and typed her address in. It had him going right through heavy traffic. "Know any shortcuts? My app has me driving around town." Not that Ben wouldn't have cared about the idea of driving for thirty minutes with Rey, however.

 

"Yea, I know a shortcut," Rey told him.

 

"Really? Do tell."

 

"At the next light, go straight then take a right," she instructed him with a smile.

 

"Ok," he replied softly, starting the car and starting onto the street.

 

"Kylo, have you ever been in a relationship where you didn't have to put on a facade and feign happiness?" Rey asked him as the car turned right.

 

"Yea, Kira."

 

"That's when you know you've found someone truly special, where you can just be you without being judged by anyone," Rey explained.

 

"Keep going straight till you see Ileenium street, turn on to that street, then make a left at the coffee shop," Rey told Ben as her hands fumbled through her clutch, grabbing a mint from it.

 

"Here? Also, can I have a mint?” Ben asked her, flashing her grin as she grabbed two mints out of her bag.

 

"Yup, and turn right." She instructed him as she popped the mint into her mouth, then gave him one.

 

“Thanks.” He popped it in his mouth.

 

Rey silently prayed for the peppermint to soothe the butterflies fluttering in her stomach. As they turned onto her street, she grabbed for her shoes and unbuckled the seatbelt.

 

"This is my place," Rey informed him as they pulled up to her house.

 

Rey opened the door, quickly climbing out of the car before shutting the door. She didn't expect him to get out of his car and walk her to her door, but as he did just that, Rey found she didn’t mind at all. When they arrived at the front door, she gave him the jacket back.

 

"Thanks for the nice evening, and letting me borrow your jacket Kylo," Rey nervously said all at once.

 

"You're welcome, Kira."

 

Ben put his jacket back on before stalking closer to Rey, both of them reaching out to each other and removing their masks. He leaned into her face, letting their breath blend together before he grabbed her by the waist, closing the distance with a long, searing kiss.

 

Rey didn’t resist as his soft pink lips crash on hers. She let the shoes slip out of her hand as she wrapped her arms around his neck as they kissed. They continued to kiss as she removed her right arm from his neck, digging out the spare house key that Poe kept buried in a potted plant, since there was no way Rey could fish out her keys from her purse without having to pull away from him.  _ Fuck, how did he learn to kiss like this? _   She broke away from him, finally so they could collect themselves, and let her unlock the door and collect her fallen shoes. Rey noticed that he wanted more but didn’t have the strength to go for another round.

 

"Goodnight Kylo."

 

"Goodnight Kira," Ben whispered to her, kissing her free hand. She noticed a look, one that told her that he didn't want to leave painted on his handsome features.

 

Rey somberly watched as Kylo hopped into his car and drove away. She opened the door after a long moment, and removed her key before closing the door. Her mind couldn't seem to wrap around on what she'd just done. Normally, Rey would wait until the second or third date before kissing them - but in this case, it felt like she'd known him since joining the club.  

 

* * *

 

During the short drive home, Ben silently wondered to himself on whether or not he'll ever get to see her again.

 


	4. How Soon is Now? Cause I'm Strugglin' to Mend My Shattered Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after the party. Ben finds peace after an unexpected visitor shows up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Sorry about the obscenely late update. I've been busy personal stuff. Hope you enjoy! 
> 
> Warning: some smut as well as a helping of doggo/human fluff. 
> 
> I would like to thank my lovely beta  
> [MyJediLife.](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyJediLife/pseuds/MyJediLife) Please go read her fics. 
> 
> Also,  
> [playlist for chapter 4](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5ED0v742P7ol9CNtquehEX)

Saturday Morning

  
  


Ben's penthouse

  
  
  


A loud doorbell jolts Ben out from a deep slumber, causing him to tumble out of his luxurious king-sized bed, taking the black sheets along with him. He hastily unravels the dark fabric away from his bare waist before slipping on a pair of black sweatpants, while silently wondering who wants to see him this early in the morning.

  
  


As soon as he opens the door, he finds Bazine leaning against the door frame wearing a metallic purple trench coat, a blonde wig and sporting a pair of cat-eye sunglasses perched atop her head. Ben’s eyes narrow, his brow furrowed - he was perplexed as to why she turned up to his flat when he asked management to blacklist her the other day.

  
  


"What the fuck are you doing here? And how did you get past security?" Ben asked her, trying to contain his bubbling anger.

 

"I came to get my stuff back, and, for your information, I had to sneak in with a large group of old, rich assholes," Bazine sardonically ground out as she tugged the wig off to reveal long, glossy black locks, paying no mind to his half-naked body.

 

Ben chuckled a little at her half-baked attempt at humour. “Who brought you over?”

 

“Hux did.”

 

“Oh really? Then why isn't he with you?" Ben questioned her as his anger began to subside.

 

“Well, are you going to stand there and glare at me as if I'm some sort of Hellkite and barricade the door from me, or are you going to let me in?” Bazine demanded.

 

_ Maybe she is a Hellkite, _ Ben sardonically thought to himself before finally relenting. “Fine, just get your shit and go,” he tersely told her, stepping aside to let her in.

 

“Thank you,” she replied brusquely, pushing him aside as she sauntered in.

 

Bazine walked quickly and quietly through the doorway with her large, pink canvas tote and headed for the bathroom to gather her toiletries before going into the room that she used to occupy when they were together to pack her toys, clothes, lingerie, and various accessories. She carefully double checked to make sure she had everything before leaving. She was the first to break the silence after quietly collecting her belongings.

 

“I'm sorry for what happened between us Ben,” Bazine quietly said.

 

Ben damn well knew that she wasn't the least bit sorry. He rolled his eyes before looking her in the eyes one last time, trying to think of something to say. “Bazine, that's so fucking pathetic of you to just give me some silly non-apology and hope things are all fine and dandy, that’s not going to happen. Also, good luck with Hux.”

 

She chuckled at his comment. “I don't need luck, but good luck to you too.”

 

Ben slammed the door as soon as she left. He made the choice of resisting every temptation to destroy his home by deciding to go out and get some fresh air. Stepping into his massive walk-in closet, he chose a pair of slightly tight fitting blue jeans, a black cotton tee and black leather high tops. He hastily finger-combed his messy hair in the mirror. After getting dressed and locking the door, he jumped in his car and drove off.

 

A relatively short drive later, Ben found himself in front of a humane society. He went here most weekends to find a companion but was unsuccessful. As Ben got out of his car and went inside, he had a strange feeling that he wouldn’t go home empty-handed.

 

Once inside, his nose catches the scent of cheap, floral scented air freshener. Ben felt his skin tense up as his body adjusted to the drastic temperature change. 

 

At the reception desk, a teenaged blonde haired girl, aged no more than sixteen, smiled at him as he walked in. The girl was busy working on her summer break projects when he walked in and quickly closed the small collection of books.

 

"Hello, Ben."

 

"Hello, Ahsoka," He looked toward the desk to see numerous library books on the subject of early American history. "I don't miss doing summer projects." 

 

As Ben wandered into the dog kennels, his ears were suddenly greeted with a voluminous chorus of barking. As he talked to the dogs a little and fed them treats, he found himself slightly depressed, due to the fact that his building didn't allow pit bulls.

 

After Ben fed the last dog a treat, he meandered over to the next kennel, assuming that he would see another pit bull. His hypothesis was quickly disproven when his eyes were suddenly greeted by a gorgeous long-haired, solid black, female Borzoi. As Ben read her information sheet, he learned that her name was Niney. He grabbed some treats, then squatted down and stretched out his hand toward the resting dog.

 

When Niney looked up from her bed to see the man offering her treats, she crawled out of her bed to approach him and began eating them happily.

 

"That's a good girl," Ben praised as she ate from his hand. He felt drawn to take the adorable misfit dog home.

 

After she licked his hand clean, Ben stood up to leave only to see Niney stand to her full height on hind legs, with her long-haired tail wagging happily along. Her sad brown eyes made him instantly regret having to leave her there as he made his way to the front desk.

 

Ahsoka finished directing the two men ahead of him to where they could find the cats, and she noticed Ben looked like he just won the lottery. "I take it you're ready to adopt."

 

"Yes, I am." He cheerfully responded.

 

"Excuse me for a second, let me go grab the manager."

 

While Ben waited for the manager, he went over to look at the assortment of dog collars to see which would suit Niney.

 

Five minutes later, a tall young woman with shoulder length dark chestnut hair approached him. The woman wore an orange work polo, a pair of dark wash shorts, and nuclear yellow running shoes.

 

“Hi! I'm Bastila Shan, the adoption manager."

 

“Hello, Bastila. I'm Ben.”

 

They both shook hands.

 

"Ahsoka told me that you're ready to start the adoption process, is that correct?”

 

"Yes, ma'am. I'm looking to adopt Niney," Ben told her as he contained his excitement.

 

"Great! Follow me and we'll get started," she led him into her bright blue office where she sat in front of the computer and began typing. Her desk held a few picture frames of her and her husband and their two small dogs.

 

Ben made himself comfortable in one of the leathery burgundy chairs and crossed his legs.

 

"I have a little bit of history on her if you would like for me to read it.”

 

“Please, go ahead.”

 

"Well, Ahsoka found Niney tied to a handicap parking sign and crying when someone left her in the heat for no reason. When the vets examined her, she had a few ticks, a severe flea infestation and was quite underweight for her breed. They removed the ticks, gave her a few flea dips, as well as putting her on a diet to help her gain weight."

 

Ben shot her a look of sheer horror as she told him the story, "You're kidding?"

 

"I shit you not, Ben. Niney was a little bratty at first, but after a week in therapy, she became the lovable dog she is today." She amicably comments as she skimmed the rest of her file.

 

"What did the therapy entail, if you don't mind me asking?" Ben asked as his phone vibrated in his pants pocket.

 

"We did the things that were never afforded to her from her previous owners. Like watching movies, TV, and having her play with other dogs as well as taking her home with me to be loved on," she continued on. "A few words of warning Ben, Niney has the mentality of a lap dog, and she will climb on your lap, whether you want her to or not," Bastila lightheartedly warned him and chuckled as she remembered her husband turning her into a lap dog and her Terriers becoming jealous of Niney.

 

Ben related to Niney for the fact that his family wasn't quite there for him when he needed them the most. The only father figure he had was his uncle, Luke. His mother was the only one that raised him while being the city's most prominent attorney, while his father became a heavy gambler before he was forced into rehab by his wife and brother-in-law. His thoughts were interrupted when the woman spoke again.

 

"From what I can see on her file, she's a year old and ready to be adopted. She's already been fixed and given her immunizations, as well as heartworm prevention. Let me print out the adoption forms for you to sign, and I shall be right back," she said to him as she collected the printed forms before handing them to him and leaving the room to get the key to Niney's kennel.

 

Bastila silently meandered back into the office to collect the paperwork and sign it before notarising it. She sat back in her seat to prepare the adoption packet. After sliding the last of the paperwork into a manilla envelope, Bastila handed it over to Ben right before grabbing the neon orange lead and keys that laid upon the desk next to her, motioning for Ben to follow her to the kennels. Once they approached Niney's kennel, she unlocked the door.

 

Upon seeing Ben, Niney galloped right over to him and immediately began licking his face. Both of them were rather pleased to see each other again as the man lovingly wrapped his arms around her large furry, yet thin frame and stroked her head.

 

Once he paid the thirty dollar adoption fee and purchased a red leather collar, Ben sat down on a chair with Niney sitting in-between his open legs. He replaced the old collar with her new one before clipping the red lead on her and giving her a kiss on her head.

 

After the two women congratulated Ben on his new fur baby, they gifted him a small white canvas tote stuffed with her adoption papers, treats, shampoo, and dog bowls as well as her toys. As soon as he swung the bag on to his broad shoulder, he felt Niney pull on the lead towards the front door.

 

"Hold on, sweetheart. If you behave, I'll hand you one of your toys when we get to the car," He lovingly told her as he scratched behind her ears.

 

“Sounds like she wants to go home,” Bastila commented as she approached Niney.

 

She knelt in front of her to pet her one last time. “Goodbye, little Niney. Please be good for him, ok?” Bastila urged her as she tearfully hugged the dog goodbye.

 

“Ok Niney. Let's go home.”

 

Ben smiled as she hugged Niney farewell. "Thank you and please do have a good day!” Ben bade them as he opened one of the doors and walked out.

 

After Ben drove home, he took Niney on a tour of her new home. He showed her every room, except for his home office and playroom. He let her explore while holding her by the lead, before unleashing her and allowing her to explore on her own.

 

With Niney preoccupied, Ben quietly slipped away to his bathroom. He slid, the shower door open to turn on the scorching hot water, and as he began undressing and stepping into the warm stream, his thoughts drifted over to the woman he'd been smitten with ever since last night's party.

 

His back to the wall, he closed his eyes and imagined her in front of him as he massages his cock, her back facing him, yet craning her neck to look directly at Ben as she painfully tormented him, slowly sliding off the straps of her dress and holding it against her breasts. Her eyes surveyed every inch of the topography of his body as she toyed with the gold body chain. The girl finally releases the gown while maintaining eye contact with him.

 

Ben instantly felt himself as her image swam in his mind. He instinctively moves his hand and grips it around his girthy erect cock and began to slowly stroke himself while still fantasising about her.

 

“Kira,” Ben mumbles aloud into the void as the euphoric high waltzed throughout his body as he came hard in his hand.

 

Ben quickly washed up before turning off the water. He hastily towel dries his hair before drying off his body and getting dressed. He enters the living room and turns on the flat screen. Ben chuckles when finds Niney happily perched on the couch after roaming around in her new home. Ben flops on the massive leather couch next to her with the remote in hand and selects the Netflix icon.

 

“Shall we watch 'Phantom of The Opera' first?”

 

Niney moved closer to him and plopped her slim head atop his lap, exhaling in content.

 

Ben lovingly stroked her head as he pressed the 'enter' button. For the first time in a long time, he felt happy.

  
  


As the credits for the film rolled, Ben Solo hardly noticed that the sun had already been long gone. He heard frantic knocking on his door and gently moves the dog from off his lap before getting up to answer the door. He silently hoped that his ex-lover wasn’t on the other side of the door. As Ben opened the door, he felt relieved that Phasma stood in the hallway, wearing grey silk pyjamas, with a look of consternation that soon was replaced with immediate relief upon seeing that he hadn't done something irrational.

 

"Hey, what brings you here?" Ben asks her, wondering what brought her to his flat.

 

"Hey there, Ben. Do you mind if I come in?"

 

"Not at all. What's Mitaka up to?" He asks her as stepped aside to allow her through.

 

Ben's head nodded in confirmation. "She came over to get her shit."

 

"Speaking of your ex-girl, you won't believe what I just saw. Apparently, Bazine eloped with Hux in Vegas. I figured it would have been best to tell you rather than someone else telling you without giving you the whole story.”

 

"Where did you hear it from?" Ben questioned his friend.

 

She whipped out her phone from the pocket of her pyjama pants to show him Bazine's post on Kinklife. The photo displayed Hux and his ex-kissing while flashing the camera their wedding rings.

 

As he looked at the photo, Ben felt a fleeting moment of shock then, the feeling was quickly replaced with an inkling of jealousy. He shrugged his shoulders before getting up to get a stiff drink. Ben remembered that he had plans to ask Bazine to marry him before their breakup.

 

Phasma followed him to the mini-bar and grabbed his hand before he even poured himself a drink. She sensed the emotional turmoil brewing in his mind by the distraught expression plastered on his handsome visage.

 

"I'm going to order dinner. Have you eaten at all today?"

 

"I haven't had much but a few bowls of microwave popcorn," Ben answered her after sipping some water.

  
  


"Hey, how's Ben doing?" Leia inquired of Phasma, with a hint of concern in her tone.

 

"Ben's fine. He told me that Bazine dropped by his flat to grab her stuff. I've also told him the news. Apparently, he's now a proud parent of an adorable fur baby," she replied while slipping off her flats and getting comfortable.

 

"Oh really? Put him on the speakerphone. I need to talk to my wayward spawn."

 

When Ben re-entered the living room with two cold water bottles and a well-fed Niney trailing behind him, he noticed that Phasma was on the phone with his mother as he sat the water on the table before plopping on the couch.

 

"Sure, you're in luck, he just came back from feeding his dog," she tapped the speakerphone button and sat the phone down on her lap.

 

"Hey, mom." Ben greeted Leia while stroking behind Niney's ears.

 

"Hey, Benny dear. How are you holding up?"

 

Ben tried very hard not to mention the girl he'd met last night. "Strangely ok for someone who had their heart destroyed," he took a deep breath and thought of Kira in a half-hearted effort to calm his anger.

 

"Glad that you didn't lose it and try to assault Hux."

 

Phasma was tempted to spill the tea about the girl Ben met last night, but was interrupted by a knock on the door before she even got a chance to. She answered it as he chatted away with his mother.

 

Niney perked her head up as she heard knocking and a door opening.

 

"Ok, she's eerily quiet, where did Gwen run off to?"

 

Ben peered over to see her chatting with a young man who looked to be in his late teens or early twenties, "It looks like she's grabbing delivery."

 

Phasma slinks back to the room carrying a brown paper bag, and a blue plastic bag containing two bottles of soda.

 

Ben made Niney hop off the couch as Phasma sat the bags on the table. Ben could already smell the wings, even though it was in the bag. He looked over to see Niney eyeballing the same bag and licking her lips.

 

Ben takes one of the black Styrofoam boxes from her. "Mom, I need to go eat."

 

As he opens the takeaway box, a cloud of hot vapour smacked him in the face causing his eyes to water a little. Ben fanned the steam away from his meal before eating the first one.

 

"Same here, Chewie wants something. Love you, Benny!"

 

"Tell Chewie I said 'hi' and love you too, mum," he manages to say with a full mouth before ending the call.

 

After handing her back her phone, Ben noticed Niney salivating over his discarded chicken bones. He grabs the brown bag and carefully hides the cleaned bones inside in a small effort to keep them out of her line of sight. His eyes were transfixed on his leather shoes, and he was suddenly reminded of the Dom/mes meet up.

 

"Have you made an event on Kink about the Dominants of Hanna City meet up yet, Phas?"

 

While Phasma busied herself by answering the numerous emails from her clients, she didn't notice Niney pad over and nick a bone from her pile. "Not yet, Ben. Want me to, or are you going to do that?"

 

Right when he was about to answer her, Ben spied Niney grabbing a bone from Phasma's pile, speeding off to the kitchen before he could reach over to grab it from her mouth. They scrambled out of their seats to chase after her.

 

Ben pilfered through her toy bag to find her chewing bone. With the white rawhide bone in hand, he motions for Phasma to follow him as they searched the flat. Ben whistled for her. “Niney, where are you?” When they entered his room, he flicked on the light to reveal an exposed wagging black tail emanating from the side of his bed.

 

“Niney Solo! What are you doing, young lady?” He abruptly demanded when he finally tracked her down.

 

A startled Niney immediately scrambled out from the hiding spot. She hesitantly glared at him with the bone jutting out the side of her mouth. Her deep brown eyes glanced up innocently at him as if had done nothing wrong.

 

“Spit it out,” he firmly ordered her before presenting the chew toy.

 

After expelling it out, she immediately went to him to take the rawhide bone before prancing out the door with him.

 

Phasma quickly grabbed the discarded bone and went out of the room before he and the dog rejoined her. “Well, that was fun,” she sardonically commented after Ben flopped on the couch with the pup at his feet gnawing on her new found toy.

 

“Shall we watch something while I go reheat dinner?” he asked while grabbing their boxes.

 

”Definitely,” she plucks the remote off the table and thumbs through the various movies. Phas selected 'Repo', a rock musical that they both have always immensely enjoyed.

 

Ben grinned deviously at his friend's film choice as he sat their thoroughly reheated dinner on the table. “No guaranteed promises that you're not going to sing along again?”

 

She flashed him a diabolical and slightly toothy smirk before dining on a wing. “None, whatsoever.”

 

When 'Genetic Emancipation' began, Ben felt obligated to sing along to it with Phas. He failed to notice that Niney was fast asleep on the couch next to him while the pair belted it out. When he sat back down after the song ended, Ben felt exhilarated after being able to finally do the one thing that his ex would have never liked him doing.

 

“Well damn Ben, I didn't know you could sing that well.”

 

“Neither did I,” he burst into a fit of laughter at the statement. Ben had never laughed so hard in a long time.


	5. Gimme Some Shelter, Cause Baby, I Need Somewhere to Mend My Shattered Glass Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNINGS FOR THE FOLLOWING:
> 
> REFERENCED PAST SEXUAL ABUSE, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND REFERENCED PAST SELF MUTILATION. IF YOU ARE TRIGGERED BY THESE, DO NOT READ THIS CHAPTER.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Re-edited 
> 
>  
> 
> I would like to again thank my beta  
> [MyJediLife](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyJediLife)  
> Feel free to read her fics. :)
> 
> I recently decided to write a Reylo take on the classic film, "Say Anything..." You can read it  
> [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17413631/chapters/40990124#workskin)
> 
> As for the kudos and comments, thank you for the kind words. :)
> 
> I made a playlist for this chapter.  
> [Playlist for chapter five](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0CXR0x8nUXah2skD7EugK0)
> 
>  

 

Sunday

 

The Pink Flamingo Diner

 

As the cool morning clashed, then blended in with the midday heat, Rey, Rose and the boys made their way in for their ritual Sunday breakfast, all of them hungover from last night. The diner’s interior colour scheme was a modern mix of dark grey tables accompanied by red seating, white walls and the miniscule amount of chrome behind the short stretch of the counter. Since the diner allowed people to seat themselves, the foursome settled into their table by the window, the stashed menus behind half-empty condiment bottles remained untouched.

 

Usually, their Saturdays were spent going to the gym, followed by the tedious trip to the market, and finishing the day off by taking an uber for a booze-fueled night at Tatooine; a desert oasis themed club. They found humour in watching a drunken Poe flirting his way into drunken one night stands with random people. since Finn and Rose went to her sister's wedding, Poe and Rey had done the errands yesterday.

 

Finn’s older sister, Hera Williams, excitedly hurried over to them. Finn stood and hugged his sister, followed by the rest of the gang, before Rose darted to the washroom for some unknown reason. It was an open secret that Hera and Poe had been friends with benefits for the past year. Finn had a hard time accepting it, but came around in the end. She inherited the diner after their aunt and uncle had passed on.

 

“One quick burning question for you before I disappear, have you figured out if you’re taking her to dinner, or are you having dinner at home?" Hera directly asked her kid brother. She, Poe and Rey had been helping him with a surprise for Rose for the past month and a half. Rey agreed to part with her old engagement ring, and Poe had decided on being his best man. "So, how was the wedding?"

 

"I’m taking her out to the new Italian place that opened last weekend. Rose has been begging me to take her there," Finn replied while grinning from ear to ear. "To be honest..."

 

"It was very lovely. Finn did go ape shit over the dessert buffet," Rose's voice abruptly cut in as she returned from the washroom and seated herself next to her beloved.

 

"Ok, you clowns!" Hera straightened herself back up and dug out her pad and pen, ready to write their orders. "So, are we ready to order?" She resisted the urge to ruffle Poe’s perfectly coiffed dark strands.

 

"The usual, please," the four answered in unison.

 

“Also, can I get a glass of water, too, please?” Finn added.

 

"Ok, sugar baby," Hera teased while scribbling down their orders before walking away to the kitchen window to hand the order ticket in. When she came back to the table a moment later, she served the four friends their coffee, along with Finn's water.

 

While sugaring her coffee, Rey spotted a man who looked rather similar to Kylo walking into the busy diner. She felt her heart start to beat rapidly at the prospect of seeing him again, only for it to slow to crawl as he turned away from her line of sight and headed to sit at the counter.

 

Rose turned her gaze from her boyfriend to catch Rey staring at a male patron who had entered the restaurant. "Looking for someone?" Rose asked her curiously.

 

Rey peered down at the orange mug in front of her, masking the disappointment on her face. "Yea, I just thought I saw someone,” she said absentmindedly.

 

A solid fifteen minutes later, Hera came over to their table carrying plates of food on a serving tray. She handed the four their meals and leaned toward Finn's ear to finish their previous conversation. "Is the ring hidden from her?" she asked him with her hand covering her mouth around his ear.

 

"Rey has it safely hidden in her room,” he managed to muster with a full mouth.

 

Hera nodded in response to Finn's answer. "Enjoy your meal!" she beamed while mussing Poe's hair and nonchalantly winking at him before dashing off to see to another customer.

 

Rey’s eyes shifted over to Poe, who had just begun eating his meal and then straight to her coffee guzzling lover. She eyed the two men suspiciously and wondered why they were whispering. Rey sighed in disappointment when her mental investigation produced nothing, so she decided to break their comfortable silence.

 

"Well, I've met someone," was all she could say without her cheeks flushing bright red while thinking about Kylo and mindlessly stuffing her mouth with sliced fruit.

 

Amusement painted Rose’s face as she carefully sipped her coffee before setting it down. "So, what does this mystery man look like?" she asked while stuffing her mouth with a couple of bites of cheesy scrambled egg.

 

The image of him swam in Rey’s mind before she spoke. “Well, he's tall, wavy shoulder-length black hair, well built, light skin, soulful brown eyes, a complete gentleman, has a deep, baritone voice and-” Rey's voice trailed off when she remembered that evening.

 

"Does this guy have a name, or should we refer to him as the Marquis De Sade?" Poe asked, sipping his coffee before returning to eating his steak.

 

Rey shot Poe one of her ‘seriously dude?’ looks before her cheeks turned a rather interesting shade red as she bit into a peach slice continuing to recount the night, "Ha!” Rey shook her hands and continued on. “Anywho, he introduced himself as Kylo. I'm not even sure if that's his real name or a pseud. We got to know each other, then danced and played blackjack until the party ended. He then took me home and we kissed each other goodnight before I went to bed,” she lightly rubbed her lips together once the memory flooded into her mind.

 

Rose spat out her hot coffee and began choking. She quickly stole a few sips of Finn's cold water to soothe her coughing fit.

 

“And she's ok!” Poe humorously commented while chuckling.

 

"So you've had quite the evening then," Finn commented as he stole a piece of Rose’s last bit of french toast, devouring it right before her eyes and flashing her a shit-eating grin.

Rose sent him a half-serious scowl as she pilfered Finn's last slice of bacon in retaliation, scarfing it down while intensely staring at him. The four burst into a fit of laughter while they finished their meals. After paying for brunch, the four took a relatively short walk to the city centre flea market, just across the street.

 

The foursome split off into pairs, Finn and Poe wandering to the produce stalls while Rey and Rose perused the home decor stall. Rey loved flea markets for the sheer thrill of finding a hidden treasure in heaps of worthless garbage. A couple of weeks ago, she’d found a broken garnet beaded gold body chain.                                

 

As the pair looked at art, Rey spotted a man who could have been Kylo’s clone standing with a furry black dog on a lead while browsing vinyl LPs in the stall across from them. She secretly watched him while looking at a framed greyscale photograph of a scantily clad woman posing in a provocative manner on a dark leather chaise. It took her a moment to notice the woman in the image looked strikingly similar to herself.  

 

Right after paying for the item, Rey looked over to where she'd seen the man, but he was not there. She wondered where he’d run off too in such a hurry.

 

Rose wiped away the sweat from her forehead with her forearm, looking at her friend. ”I'm going to go get us something to drink, is a lemonade fine?”

 

“Yes please!” Rey replied.

 

While waiting for Rose to return with drinks, Rey spotted a gorgeous black Borzoi wandering around the stalls, looking for someone or something, of which she didn’t know. She had a fondness for that particular breed of dog. As Rey hurriedly padded over to the lonely dog, she failed to notice an oncoming car barrelling towards her, jumping out of the way only to nearly trip on a rock. Her escape caused her to stumble backwards into the arms of a stranger.

 

The first few things she noticed about him were his arms, strangely familiar arms, his warm muscular chest against her back, and the comforting feeling that she was safe. Rey felt his eyes surveying her, and when she lifted her head up, she saw the handsome visage of Kylo Ren staring at her. The same man that she kissed the other night. She found herself biting her lip as she quickly thought of something to say, but lo and behold, he beat her to it.

 

“Well, hey there. You ok?” Ben asked, chuckling coyishly as he held her in his arms. He couldn’t help but admire how the sunlight illuminated her golden bespeckled skin, even through his dark Ray-Bans. She wore a sand coloured strapless lace sundress and brown thonged sandals, a bright yellow tote bag graced her shoulders with the phrase “I'M A HAPPY GO LUCKY RAY OF FUCKING SUNSHINE!"emblazoned on the side in black ink, her hair thrown up into three slightly messy buns. It took him a while to realise it was Kira from the party.

 

“Uh… Hi? Well for one - I’m not roadkill,” Rey stuttered breathlessly, her heart pounding rapidly in her chest, nearly forgetting about her secret weakness for men with a deep baritone timbre. The first few things she noticed were the dozens of dark moles littering his pale skin, his soft, pink full lips, and large ears. Ben wore a grey band t-shirt, an onyx-hued kilt and black combat boots. He looked less like a lawyer and more like a metal head. The only thing that she recognised on him was the goatee and those cinnamon-hued eyes. Rey wondered if it was true about men who wore kilts - that they didn't wear anything under them, but something told her that he was going commando.

 

Ben merely winked at her as he let her go and, grabbing the chain lead, then turned his attention to Niney. "Hey there, my little escape artist,” he chuckled while lovingly scratching behind her ears. He returned his attention to the woman in front of him. “Sorry about that, first day out in public and she gets lost chasing a squirrel,” he replied with a little humour in his voice. It hadn't occurred to either of them that it was the first time they've seen each other in broad daylight.

 

Rey chortled at his remark. “A little factoid for you, Borzois have been used as hunting dogs in Russia.”

 

Ben boyishly smirked at her.

 

 

* * *

 

 

After paying for the two lemonades, Rose discovered her friend in the arms of another man, whom she surmised was Kylo. She found the way the pair organically interacted with each other -  as if they had known each other for years. Rose’s lips formed a small smirk as she walked towards the pair, drinks in hand.

 

Rey was the first to look up to see Rose smirking deviously at them as if she caught her friend in the act. She held out one of the drinks to her. Ben took it from her and handed it to Rey.

 

“Right, I'm going to go find Finn so you two can have some privacy,” Rose took a small sip of her drink, satiating her thirst before hugging Rey and setting off to find them.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

After Rose left them, Ben felt relieved to be alone with Rey again. 

 

“She could not leave fast enough, could she?” he chuckled.

 

“Nope,” Rey commented between laughs. “That was my roommate, Rose.”

 

Ben chuckled as he ignored his growling stomach. “Starving?” He asked her once Niney’s lead in his firm grasp.

 

“A little, I had brunch earlier with friends.”

 

“May I take you to lunch?”

 

Rey smiled at the man in front of her and nodded, “Sure, Kylo.”

 

_How did she know that I'm Kylo? Must be the beard..._

 

“Ben,” he corrected.

 

“Ok, Ben. Where do you want to go?”

 

Gods, He loved how his name sounded on her lips. “Hmm, pizza ok with you?”

 

“Sure, I know a really good place that we can go.”

 

He gathered the red lead by his feet, and signalled for Niney to heel as he followed Rey to a cosy pizza stall adjacent to the produce bazaar. The heavenly smell of herbs and slightly burnt dough pervaded their noses when they approached the counter. The place was known for its generous slices and its frozen drinks.

 

While looking at the menu above the service window, she failed to notice that Ben had already finished off the last of her half-drunken lemonade when she wasn't looking. Rey couldn’t blame him for the reason why he’s acting more like a friend rather than a possible boyfriend.

 

After separately paying for their orders, Ben ignored the half-dozen emails from his publisher and his colleagues, and instead trains his attention to Rey, whom had been sipping away on a bright blue slushie for the past five minutes. They both ordered the veggie pizza. He sighed contently as he slurped on his frozen blue and red drink, enjoying being himself without the demanding expectations of others.

 

“We aren’t going to talk about other night, are we?” Rey’s voice cut through Ben’s train of thought.

 

He took a sip of his purple, half melted drink before taking a deep breath. “Yea, about that. Rey, I hope I’m not leading you on in any capacity, but I’m not quite ready to start dating just yet, however, I would like it if we stayed as friends till we’re both ready to date, if it’s alright with you?” As soon as the words poured out of his mouth, he regretted them. Ben drove a hand through his inky strands before carefully stacking the two plates on top of each other.

 

“Ben, it’s ok. We were caught up in the moment and no, you haven’t lead me on thus far. You do what feels right for yourself. Hell, I’m not even looking for a relationship at the moment, since my ex-Dom; who’s doing time in the state pen-” she paused as her phone rang. She didn’t recognise the number but answered anyway. “Excuse me for a second,” she walked several feet away from Ben to take the call.

 

Once she ended the call, Rey wiped her eyes, feeling that the world she knew is falling to shreds around her as she frantically made her way back to Ben, casually spying around corners for her ex, praying he was nowhere nearby. _"_ _Jacen Sloane has escaped from Chandrila State Correctional Facility…”_ Became the only thing she could think about as it echoed throughout her mind. 

 

Parked on a bench right next to the restaurant, Ben was casually caressing Niney - who sat right next to him on the bench. He watched Rey walking in his direction - terrified, and visibly shaken. Her pallor had become pale, except for her eyes which were now red and swollen, not the bright, golden hue it had been. “Everything ok?” Ben gently asked her with genuine concern.

 

Rey shook her head no and moved to closer to him. “Remember me telling you about my ex who’s doing time?”

 

Ben nodded. “Yea, what about him?”

 

She took a deep breath to calm her already frayed nerves. “He broke out of prison and the police have no idea where he’s heading,” Rey blurted out all at once, as a stream of white-hot tears coated her cheeks.

 

As the news of her ex’s escape from prison washed over him, Ben felt the strange instinct to protect the woman who wormed her way into his caged heart. He lifted his hands to wipe her tears away from her puffy red eyes. “Do you need a ride home, or do you need to call one of your roommates?” he softly asked the petrified woman before him.

 

Rey found her food on Ben's lap, his old plate safely encasing hers, in case if Niney wanted more. She swiped a napkin from underneath it before blew her nose. “I'd rather you take me home. I’m kinda uncertain about telling them about my ex,” Rey weakly replied while grabbing for her still warm pizza with clammy, jittery hands. Ben quickly intervened, taking it from her before it tumbled onto the pavement.

 

“Niney, down.”

 

The dog looks up at him and stayed glued to her spot.

 

Without uttering a word, Ben pats his thigh inviting her to sit on his lap

 

Rey gracefully plopped herself onto his lap, her legs wrapped over his legs, and for some reason decided to lean into his hard, broad chest. _Yup it,'s a repeat of last Friday night._ “Thanks, Ben.” A sense of peace washed over her as she leaned her head into his well-sculpted chest. The outside world around them seemed to blur before finally fading out.

 

“May I feed you?” He softly asked her while folding the pizza in half and presenting it to her waiting mouth.

 

 _"This shit is so not platonic,"_ she mused to herself. _"_ Please,” she begged, before taking a huge bite. Her mind wanted to drift off elsewhere, but Ben's very presence had decidedly anchored it in the present.

 

After finishing her lunch, Rey looked up at him, her golden eyes silently pleading him to hold her, if only for a little while. Ben offered her a hug, only for her to wrap her thin arms around him. They felt the spark they'd experienced the other night. She felt safe in his embrace. _Definitely not platonic what so fucking ever._

 

“Sure, I can text them, so they don’t panic that you’ve decided to go home early. Personally, I’d tell them if I were you,” Ben suggested while breathing in her sweetly scented hair as his lips planted a chaste peck atop her chestnut hued waves.  

 

“Thanks, Ben,” Rey whispered, and finished the last of her melted slushie in an attempt to quell her hiccups. She quickly texted Finn a message that something came up and she needed to go home. They piled into Ben’s car and sped off towards her place.

 

On the way home, Rey held Ben's hand as she told him everything, sparing no details. She told him about how they met at the club, their whirlwind romance that slowly devolved into constant abuse, the times he’d come home reeking of alcohol and covered in lipstick after spending time at a nearby club. She remembered the occasion of running to the police, partially clothed and bleeding after escaping from the house that night two years ago after being held captive for an entire night. She recalled the unsettling fear she felt during his trial, and the way he looked at her when she gave her testimony to the jury.

 

Rey found it comforting, yet somehow unnerving, to divulge her personal problems to someone without the trepidation of being judged. It was unlike her to talk about anything deeply personal to anyone Rey had recently met, and found it disturbing that she’d found herself becoming an open book.

 

When they had pulled into her driveway, Rey gathers her belongings, not knowing she's leaving something behind.

 

“Wait for a second, please,” Ben pleaded as he whipped out a red ballpoint pen from his pocket. “Give me your hand for a second.”

 

Rey paused before tentatively holding out her hand only for him to scrawl his two numbers across it. “Oww! That fucking hurts Ben!”

 

Ben chuckled amused by her comment. “Good, if it hurts then you’ll always remember it,” he smiled lopsidedly as he slips the pen behind his ear.

 

In bright red ink was Ben the lawyer's landline and mobile numbers. Rey dug out a blue sharpie and in penned her number on the inside of his forearm. “And now you have mine.” she lightly giggled.

 

Rey gathered her belongings before hugging Ben then Niney and getting out of his car. He watched Rey walk up to her door and disappear inside.

 

 

* * *

 

  

It pained him to just leave her home alone with the uncertain guarantee of her safety, even though she’d told him that she’ll be ok. They’d exchanged numbers, in case she needed someone to talk to. On the way home, Ben noticed that Rey accidentally left a framed photo behind on the passenger seat. Raising it slightly with one hand to take a brief look at the ‘gift’, he felt his cheeks flush bright pink and quickly lowered it.

 

After parking the car and taking the lift to his floor, Ben opened his door to let himself and Niney inside. With Niney fed, he stormed into his office in a huff, while mindlessly rambling on about case briefs.

 

 

* * *

 

 

After returning home, their purchases in tow, Poe, Finn and Rose walked into the kitchen to find a happy Bee-Bee eight sitting on the couch next to a sleeping Rey. Rose noticed that her eyes were red and swollen as if she spent several hours crying.

 

“Hey. Are you ok there?” Rose said, waking her gently.

 

Waking up to see her friends huddled around the couch, Rey remembered Ben’s suggestion of telling her friends about the situation involving her ex. “Guys, I have some shitty news to tell you.”

 

The boys poked into the living room and flopped next to Rey, a look of concern stamped on their faces.

 

“What’s going on, peanut?” Finn asked her.

 

“While I was hanging out with Kylo, HCPD called me with the news that my ex-boyfriend has broken out of prison and they don’t know where he’s going,” after she wiped her watering eyes, Rey looked up to see the trio staring at her, dumbfounded and appalled by the news, “ I’m not letting this fuck up the rest of the evening,” she told them, taking a few deep breaths and pushing her fears aside; a couple of years of therapy had taught her.

 

Poe looked up from his phone to hear the sound of thunder, followed by heavy rain. “Shit, did you want to order pizza for dinner, or do you want to do soup and sammies?” Poe addressed Rey directly.

 

Straightening her wrinkled, blood red romper, Rey peeled herself from the beaten leather couch, taking the cat with her. “Let's do that.”

 

"But first, I'm going to go for a shower and have a coronary," Rey said to the three while picking up the cat and depositing him in the cat tree before going to her room.

 

Dragging herself towards her room, Rey overheard Finn and Rose giggling and moaning in the confines of their room. As she enters her violet coloured room, she shuts the door, stripping off her clothes and tossing them in the hamper. Walking to her floor length mirror, she studies the numerous scars scattered around her skin, remembering how he’d given her each one. When her eyes found the hash marks on her right thigh, she recalled the deep abyss she’d once found herself in months after leaving Jacen. Her friends forced her into going to a therapist after catching her cutting herself one afternoon. She shook off the grotesque images and negative thoughts when she reminded herself to text Ben.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While waiting for the shower to warm up, her thoughts drifted over to Ben; in an effort to forget the recent turn of events. It shocked, yet comforted her upon the realisation that he only listened and didn’t judge her for her experiences. Free from the confines of her robe, she stepped into the hot shower. The warm jets of water pummeled her skin despite her feeling of emotional numbness.

 

After drying herself off and dressing in her ex's old Lacuna Coil tee and black and red flannel pyjama shorts, Rey grabbed her Kindle and searched for a book in its online store. Moments later, she found herself staring at a book's cover; a close up of a pair of wrist cuffs against a white background. The book centred around a clandestine affair between a handsome recluse writer and one of his maids. While it’s downloading, she sat her Kindle down to look out her window, only to see a thick wall of rain pouring out of a darkening sky.

 

* * *

 

 

After finishing the last of several case briefs, Ben walked into his expansive playroom with every intention of riding up the unused space. The last time he was here, he and his ex-were fooling around. He moves to the black curio-cabinet filled with an assortment of toys ranging from nipple clamps to kegel balls, and a generous supply of condoms and various lubes. Ben smirked to himself when it dawned on him that Bazine hadn’t touched anything in the drawers. As he pilfered through his extensive collection of toys, his chocolate gaze fell upon a tiny, coal-hued leather box nestled among the potpourri of glass and metal objects. He grabbed that, along with a black satin drawstring sack.

 

Cradling a little ring box in his giant hands, Ben flopped onto the black leather tantra lounger, feverishly raking a hand through his thick dark waves as he recounted the afternoon with Rey, and telling her that he wasn’t really ready to date. He pondered on the outlandish idea that she secretly resented him for his seemingly selfish decision, despite being told the opposite.

 

Plucking the tiny box from his lap and opening it to see a small emerald cut Moissanite ring glittering in the dim light, Ben thought about the fact that he had planned on proposing to Bazine around the holidays, but after her affair and their subsequent break-up, he was clueless as to what he should do with the ring now. As Ben admired it in the box, he remembered the two people who he had truly come to love in the thirty-some-odd years of his life.

 

The day he met Cassandra it was during his first year of law school, and he felt like he’d taken a breath of fresh air for the first time since his then-girlfriend dumped him for another man. Ben’s relationship with her was his first foray into the BDSM lifestyle (she was a switch, he was her Dom). When they hit their senior year, they started to drift further and further apart due to them following their separate career paths, she wanted to run for office, and Ben wanted to help run his mother’s law firm. Right before graduation, they amicably ended their failed relationship and decided it was best to remain friends. Two years later, he learned that she had a husband and a family.

 

Three years later, he began dating Bazine right after his old secretary went into retirement. They both knew their clandestine love affair was doomed to never last more than six months. Ben remembered when he threw a one-year anniversary party at the club, and caught Bazine and Hux eye-fucking each other from across the room; which became the catalyst for their first argument after the party. He’d confided in his friends about her, only for them to urge him to tread carefully. Two years later, it was over between them.

 

Ben wiped away freshly fallen tears as he closed the box, sliding his phone out of his pocket and shooting off a message to Phas.

 

 

 

Ben turned his phone off, telling himself to not mention his run-in with Rey at the flea market to Phas until they were face to face. He peeled himself from his comfortable position, wandering out of the room to slip the items into his well-worn satchel before heading back to the playroom to finish cleaning, debating on whether he should call her or not.

 

* * *

 

     

Dameron Residence

 

Seated around a glass top coffee table, Hera, Rey, and Poe feasted on egg drop soup supplemented with toasted sandwiches, the loud television drowning out the heavy rainfall.

 

Before the two lovebirds ran off to dinner, the fivesome, including Rey, mulled over various suggestions about her next move. Hera and Rose threw out the idea that Rey should find a job that wasn't a short distance from the house. Oddly enough, she found herself agreeing with them.

 

As Rey absentmindedly sipped away her soup, as well as taking the occasional bites of a toasted avocado and cheese sandwich, her thoughts drifted over to Ben and the run-in at the market - which she now deemed the worst day in her life. She felt thankful when Poe filled Hera in on the current situation about her ex when she came round for their ritual game night.

 

Every Sunday night for the past three years, the five of them played games and watched films until one in the morning. Last week they played four tense rounds of Monopoly but had to stop when Hera, Poe and Finn had a sarcasm-laced argument over her owning Boardwalk and the utilities. Both Rey and Rose found the entire situation hilarious.       

     

While watching the red and black-clad figure shield his girlfriend from falling objects by stuffing her in a glass coffin, Rey ruminated on the idea that having someone to save you when life goes sideways is great, but the notion seemed far-fetched and unrealistic when she could just do it herself. Then there was that nagging thought in the back of her mind - what if she couldn’t save herself due to something, or someone preventing her from doing so.

 

Once the end credits rolled, Finn and Rose come tumbling in the doorway, grinning ear to ear, their clothing drenched in rainwater. As they crept toward their room, they didn’t notice that someone was right behind them.

 

Sneaking up to her brother and soon to be sister in law, Hera made sure her feet produced zero noise as she approached the couple. As soon as she positioned herself, not realizing that the stalker had herself become a stalkee, Hera uttered out a loud shriek as her unknown assailant tackled her to the floor and started tickling her.

 

“Poe, you asshole!” She groaned, while trying to wrestle free - only to be rolled over on her back, her arms pinned above her head before he leaned in to kiss her deeply.

 

Poe pulled away from her mouth finally,  flashing her a shit-eating grin. “We both damn well know you love being taken by surprise,” Poe retorted, chuckling. He stopped his attack on her lips and helped her up to her feet when he saw Rose pop her head out of the door before disappearing.

 

After changing out of their water-logged clothing, Finn and Rose meandered out of their room with four games, one of them being ‘Cards Against Humanity’. Finn sat the games down on the table.

 

Ignoring the commotion in the hallway, curled up on the couch with her Kindle in hand and wrapped in her blue fleece throw, Rey sighed to herself while silently reading the book she had recently downloaded. As she read along, she furiously rubbed her thighs together in an attempt to stave off the need for relief from her vibrator.

 

 _Yep, it’s going to be one of ‘those nights.’_ Rey mused to herself and shut off her device to see what goodies Finn had brought out. There was ‘Life’, ‘Monopoly’, ‘Risk’, and her personal favourite, CAH. She pondered if Ben enjoyed playing board and card games.        

 

“Rey, did you want to pick which game you wanna play?” Finn asked her, disrupting her inner musings as he flopped on the floor next to Rose.

 

“Yea,” she responded, picking up the massive black box and handing it to him while grinning.

 

While Finn hastily set up the game, Poe and Hera sat on opposite sides of the table as ten white cards were dealt out to everyone, the two staring each other down, daring the other to formulate a bold move.

 

Finn’s gaze shifted from Poe to his sister, already annoyed with their behaviour. _Gods, not this crap again._ “You know this is only a game right?”

 

Rose gently caressed her fiance's arm as she leaned into him, “You know they like each other, but they’re too stubborn to admit it.”

 

He nodded in agreement before picking up the first black card. “What makes life worth living?”

 

The four stealthily slid their cards towards Finn, smug grins glued to their faces. Finn collected the cards before reading their choices out loud. Poe picked ‘Tentacle Porn’, Rose’s card was ‘Getting naked and watching Nickelodeon’, Hera’s answer was ‘A Hot Latin Lover’, while Rey chose ‘The Devil himself’. In the end, Finn chose his fiance’s card; much to Poe and Hera’s chagrin.

 

Several rounds later, with Hera kicking everyone’s ass, they felt it was the perfect time to have a quick break for refreshments.   

 

After neatly stacking her black cards and checking her mobile for any messages she may have missed, Rey tossed the phone on the worn brown leather sofa without a second thought. As soon as it plopped on a seat cushion, it began ringing. She hastily answered it, turning pink when her eyes were instantly greeted by Ben’s handsome visage.

 

“Hey there!”

 

“Who is it?” Rose whispered.

 

She covered her phone. “I’ll tell you later.” Rey half-whispered.

 

Rey snuck out from the family room to the front patio for some fresh air and some semblance of privacy. “Oh, umm hey,” She toyed with her wavy milk chocolate strands. The first thing she noticed, was that he stood in a dark grey room, bare-chested, his hands playing with something silver.

 

_Double fuck!_

 

Rey found herself ogling the shirtless man displayed on her screen and made a little wish.

 

“I called to make sure you’re ok,” Ben explained, while working to detangle the chains of two sets of nipple clamps that had somehow become knotted together.

 

“Yea, I’m totally fine, thanks for asking. I was just playing a game with friends when you called. So whatcha you up to?” she asked him, her back flush against the cold wall near the door. “May I ask you something, Ben?”

 

“Not much, cleaning up my playroom. Yeah, yeah go ahead, Rey.”

 

“Do you have a favourite game? Really?” She had the strange and unsettling feeling that someone other than Ben was watching her.

 

Ben perched himself on a spanking bench with a small bundle of hemp rope in his lap. “Yep, it's a personal ritual I’ve kept for years. I read somewhere that caring for a sacred space, which in this case is my personal dungeon, will bring someone inner peace. Actually, my favourite is ‘Monopoly’. How about you?”

 

Rey slipped back into the house in an effort to escape whoever is spying on her. Her friends were far too busy playing another game to see her speed past them. Safe in the confines of her room, she collapsed on top of her duvet before answering his question. “Cards Against Humanity is mine. Sorry, I had a strange feeling that someone was watching me, so I'm hiding out in my room.”

 

Ben understood her fears, changing topics for her sake. “Did you leave that photo by accident in my car, or did you mean to gift it to me for some reason?” Ben asked her while coiling the rope and moving on to the next.

 

 _Shit, I knew I have forgotten something..._ Rey thought to herself.

 

“I’m waiting for an answer,” Ben gently reminded her.

 

Rey’s cheeks turned an interesting hue of red as she dragged her teeth over her bottom lip before replying. “I left it there by mistake, but you can keep it if you want as a thank you gift.”

 

Ben gave her an appreciative smile for her honesty. “Well, in that case, I thank you for the gift.”

 

“The question is - where are you going to hang it?” she asked him, sitting up and hugging one of her pillows. “Where's your fur child, by the way?”

 

“Hrmm, I haven't decided yet, I may hang it in my room. Niney's sleeping in my bed, ” Ben replied, while running a giant hand through his thick hair as he reclined in the tantra chair with his phone resting on his lap.

 

“You look comfortable,” Rey said.

 

“I could say the same thing about you. Did you eat something after I dropped you off?” Ben asked her.

 

“Yea, I had soup and a sandwich. Nothing fancy.”

 

“No dessert?”

 

“I was going to have a slice of chantilly cake before you called; my flatmate had a birthday today,” she explained, while cuddling her stuffed toy penguin.  

 

“Really now?”

 

“Mmhmm,” Rey didn’t hear Rose sneak in and plop a slice of cake on her side table before leaving.  

 

    

“What are you thinking about?” he curiously asked.

 

Rey finally noticed the cake, and reached over to snatch the plate off her side table. “Thinking about having a slice of cake in bed, jealous?”

 

A deep chuckle escaped his lips. “Depends on your plans for the icing,” he joked lightly.

 

Her gold eyes grew wide at his thinly veiled joke. She thought of calling him a fucking pervert, but she damn well knew she had no room to talk. “Please tell me you’re kidding,” she begged.

  

"Maybe I am, maybe I’m not,” he teased her with a devilish smirk and a wink.

 

Rey softly chuckled, toying with a berry with her fork. “What are you thinking about, Ben?” Rey asked him while setting aside the cake on her bed.

 

As Ben pilfered through his trove of perverse thoughts running wild in the far reaches of his mind, he realised that Rey had unknowingly awoken something dark and primal inside him, something which he believed was long gone.

 

Rey noticed the way his warm brown eyes had turned an intense, dangerous and mesmerising black well of unadulterated sexual energy. Her gaze never left his face; it was as if she were under hypnosis. She painfully forced her attention to her penguin, in an effort to not let the effect he has on her derail her train of thought.

                                                                                                                                                                                          

Choosing to disregard the impalpable tension, Ben cleared his throat before proposing her a question. “Tell me three things that I don’t know about you, and I’ll share my answer.”

 

His question stunned her into complete silence. ”Would you like it if I went first?”

 

“Sure.”

 

Ben exhaled and spoke. ”Well, I’m an only child since my parents had their share of problems; My mom’s career and my dad’s alcoholism was the reason for it. Whenever an argument between them broke out, I’d go out and disappear  for a few hours.”

 

“Where did you go?” Rey curiously asked him, her chin resting on her palm.

 

Ben continued on. “Depending on my mood, either my uncle Lando’s Jazz Club, or my Uncle Luke’s martial arts Dojo,” Ben tousled his hair with a free hand, then continued on. “I do like to collect vinyl LPs. A funny story about that, in high school, I was pilfering through a stack of his jazz records and he suggested that I play them at home whenever my parents bickered again,” He fondly recalled the bittersweet memories of his adolescence.

 

Rey personally felt she could relate to his troubled life. She felt sorry for him over the fact that life dealt him a shitty hand - as it had done for her. ”What else?” Rey probed gently.

 

“Well, I do write BDSM romance as a side hobby under a pen name; very few people know about it, including you,” Ben replied with a chuckle.

 

“Please tell me you’re joking.”

 

“I’m not,” he deadpanned.

 

“Then name one book you’ve written,” she challenged.

 

“You’ll find out soon,” Ben teased, then quickly changed subjects. “Isn’t it your turn to answer my previous question?”   

 

“Shit, I guess it is,” Rey swallowed thickly. ”Well, like you, I’m an only child, with one small difference, both my parents are six-feet under. Since I had no known relatives at the time, I was sent to live in an orphanage until I ran away the night of my eighteenth birthday with everything I owned.”

 

“What happened after you ran from the orphanage, if you don’t mind me asking?” Ben said softly.

 

“I don’t mind talking about things like this. I remember taking shelter under an awning of a coffee shoppe from the heavy rain after dumpster diving for scraps. That’s when the owner took pity on me and helped me get on my own two feet.” Rey saw Ben give her a wry smile.   

 

“Guess we have more in common than we both realised. That’s one thing down, you have two left,” Ben reminded her.

 

“I do have a hobby of hunting for salvageable trinkets at flea markets. Maz, the woman who ‘rescued’ me, indoctrinated me into it years ago,” Rey reached over to open a drawer, pulling out the gold body chain she wore that fateful night before dangling it in front of the camera. “Remember this?”

  

His dark gaze fell upon the sight of the familiar object displayed on his phone. “Mmhmm,” he softly chuckled, clearly impressed with her skills. "So did you make that for the party or for shits and giggles?"

 

She smiled while her slim fingers toyed with the small delicate chain. "Yea, I made it for the party. The Hades and Persephone tale is one of my favourites in the Greek Mythos." Rey tinkered with the thought of wearing it again - just to see his reaction.  

  

“Rey?” Ben’s voice interrupted her inner musings. “You’re quiet, are you ok?”

 

“Yea, I'm fine, merely having devious thoughts,” she replied, flashing Ben a not so innocent smile. 

 

Her answer caught him by surprise and stoked his curiosity. “Really? Care to tell me about them?”

 

Rey sent him a deviously coy wink. “Maybe,” she teased.

 

“You are just too adorable, you know that, right?”

 

“Well, I am a brat, you know,” she quipped with a pink-tinted, diabolical smirk painted on her face.

 

A deep chuckle escaped from his throat. “You mean royal pain in the ass?” He playfully counters.

 

A gasp erupted from her mouth. “I most certainly am not!“ Rey glowered at him as if offended by his retort. ”But, I think you merely enjoy being on the business end of the snarky comments and the daily shenanigans on a regular basis, don't you?” She said.

 

Ben quirked an eyebrow as he erupted into a bout of laughter. “Looks like someone is a glutton for punishment,” he snarked. ”You have one more factoid left.”

 

“Well, actually I’m a vegetarian.”

 

“Not into eating burgers, I take it?”

 

“Nah, not really. I’ve tried eating meat once, never again.”

 

While stretching out her limbs and taking her attention away from her phone for a moment, a nagging thought crept into the forefront of her mind. When Rey returned her attention to her device, a black screen had replaced Ben’s face without so much as a small warning. “Ben?” There was no reply. In a blind panic, she called out to him again. “Hello?” The only thing she could hear was a dog barking. Other than that, near radio silence.

 

Several seconds later, an apologetic looking Ben reappeared. His hair that was once perfectly coifed now looked completely dishevelled. Niney was contently perched on his lap. ”Sorry about that. A certain fur-child found me and decided to just jump in my lap,” he replied earnestly.

 

Rey lightly chuckled as she picked up her cake and began eating it. “Isn’t she a bit too big to be a lapdog?” She asked between bites of cake.

 

Ben chortled at her observation. “She doesn’t seem to give a shit, to be honest. When I adopted her yesterday, the agent warned me about how her husband inadvertently trained her when she was under their care.”

 

Rey sat her half eaten cake on her lap before contemplating how she should brooch her next subject. “While you were ‘gone’, a nagging thought crossed my mind,”  Rey took a deep breath before continuing. “I have the strange feeling that I’m going to get zero sleep since my ex’s prison break.”

 

Ben considered the disquieted woman in front of him for a moment before asking her, “So you’re scared of having a nightmare involving your ex?”   

 

Rey quickly ate the rest of her cake, leaving the icing covered fork on her plate. She had a bad habit of stress eating since the death of her fiance and after leaving Jacen. ”Yes.”

 

Ben personally felt he could relate to her quandary since the fears about dreaming of Bazine were a nightly struggle. Suddenly, an idea sprang to mind. “Rey? Might I make a suggestion?”

 

“Go on.”

 

“I would like for you to try masturbation. It’s one of the few things you can try without downing sleeping pills.” Ben’s voice was quiet as he suggested it to her, without making it sound like a command.

 

Picking up the fork again and bringing it into her lips, Rey thought about his suggestion for a second while her tongue licked off the icing. Little did she know, Ben was watching her intently. “Guess I’ll give it a try and see what happens,” she giggled half-heartedly.  

 

Ben wondered if she was doing it on purpose or not; despite the whole scenario before him arousing him. He watched her skilled tongue strategically lick in-between the prongs; trying to reach for the last remnants of mascarpone icing. Ben bolted out of his seat to straighten his black sweats a little to hide his erection after watching Rey graphically lick the icing-coated fork - as if it were an ice cream cone. Unfortunately for him, his imagination surely wasn’t helping, since he was picturing her tongue licking something else entirely. Ben perched himself on the spanking bench again, his phone laying on his thigh.

 

Rey sat her cleaned fork on the plate, before wiping her mouth with her fingers. “Let's play another game, shall we? You can pick one this time,” Rey proposed with a smirk on her face. Clearly, she had way too much fun teasing him like this. Out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed his already flushed cheeks; it was affecting him alright.

 

Ben, sexually frustrated. Rey, very pleased at being the catalyst.

 

Ben changed topics once again for her sake. “How about we play two truths and a lie? I’ll start. I've been with twelve different people, I voted for Snoke in the last election, and one of my favourite animals is a penguin.”

 

_I fucking hope he didn't actually vote for that mentally unhinged, rotten potato. If he did, so help me..._

 

“Let's see, you love penguins and you've slept with twelve different people?”

 

He smirked at her. “Good job! Your turn!”

 

“Well, I’ve never been to a concert, I’ve never driven a car a day in my life, and I’ve done anal,” True, she’d never been to a live show or been able to learn how to drive, and for the life of her, she hadn’t further expanded her sexual horizons.

 

He pondered her answer before making his guess. “Hrmm. Let me guess, you’ve never driven a car nor seen a live show?”

 

Rey felt her jaw slacken in astonishment, as if he’d read her mind despite being miles from each other. Shaking off the strangeness of it all, she licked her dry lips before speaking. “Umm, yea.”

 

Ben was aghast and a bit offended over the fact that neither of her former partners made an attempt to test and expand her sexual limits. "So, did any of your former partners/Doms ever make an attempt to test and expand your sexual limits at all?" He questioned Rey with piqued interest.

 

She chortled a little at his inquiry. "Honestly, my ex-fiance did do that, but was later placed on hold due to working two jobs to stay afloat. I am curious about trying anal, with the right person, among other things.” Rey explained. “I do plan on doing that sort of thing much later down the road," Rey smiled at Ben earnestly.

 

He smiled in return before noticing Niney slip off from her spot on his lap, only to sit next to the door. “Did you want to go for a walk, girl?” Ben asked the dog.

 

Niney immediately stood up in response, her bushy tail wagging happily.

 

“Rey? Niney wants me to take her for a walk. So I need to go for a bit, but I’ll text or call you later, yea?”

 

“Sure, go ahead. I’m calling it a night, anywho,” she replied while yawning. “Please be careful! Goodnight, you two!”

 

“Night Rey, and remember what I suggested, ok?”

 

“Yes, of course.”

 

“Good night!” Ben replied before the connection went dead.

 

Rey set her phone on her nightstand before jumping out of bed, taking the plate with her to the kitchen. Finn and Rose were spooning on the couch, sleep watching some strange documentary about the '90s. While setting her dish in the sink and turning to leave, she heard strange guttural noises coming from outside. Peeking through the kitchen window, her eyes grew wide when she saw a half nude Hera sitting on Poe’s lap, kissing him deeply. Rey’s thoughts immediately went to Ben. She felt her heart start to pound rapidly in her chest. Tearing her eyes from the scene before her, Rey quickly fled to her room, not wanting the lovers to see her.

 

Safe in the confines in her room, Rey remembered the idea that Ben suggested, or should she say politely commanded? Regardless of what it was, her hands began slowly slipping off her shirt, followed by her pj bottoms, leaving only her royal blue lace boyshorts on, her mind solely focused on a man as she imagined him sitting on the bed, his brown eyes watching her disrobe. Her mind thought of him yanking her by the hand over his lap, her ass high in the air, begging for him to spank her hard and caress her aching core til she burned for him.

 

Crawling into bed before laying back on the duvet, Rey's right hand slid up to one of her erect nipples, while her other slipped down her taut stomach and into her now drenched panties. The feeling of her fingers grazing against her throbbing clit sent an electric shock up her spine, causing a deep moan to escape from her throat. She extricated her hand from her damp underwear, only to search under the pillows to find her rechargeable magic wand. Pulling the white object out, she powered the device on the lowest setting before pressing its vibrating head directly on her clit. She thought of him holding it there while he whispered filthy things in her ear. It wasn't long before she was panting hard, moaning aloud, hair sticking to sweaty skin, toes gripping the covers, and her head thrashing about.

 

As her ministrations pushed her closer and closer to the edge of an orgasm, her mind pictured his face buried between her legs, his warm tongue lapping away at her clit, his deep voice demanding her to come for him while his thick fingers toyed with her nipples. The very image sent Rey right over the edge. “Oh god! Oh god! Oh god! Ben!” Rey shouted into the void as intense orgasmic waves pulsed throughout her writhing body.

  
  
             

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're curious about the Tantra Chair Ben has.  
> [Ben's Tantra Chair](https://www.tantrachair.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Ebony_1P-3.png)


End file.
